Memories of an Amnesiac
by Inscriber
Summary: Wally blinked up at her in confusion, "Who's Kid Flash?"- While on a mission, Wally loses all of his memories of Kid Flash. T for saftey.
1. Blank

Memories of an Amnesiac

By Inscriber

Summary: Wally blinked up at her in confusion, "Who's Kid Flash?"

Chapter One: Blank

The sounds of the room drifted up to him lazily, gently forcing him awake. The first thing that shook him from his lethargic sate was the severe headache. It felt like he had been run over by a fully loaded cement truck-multiple times. His eyelids pried themselves open to escape the confines of his thoughts and he was instantly dazzled by the intensity of the bright lights shining above him fiercely. The sheer sense of _bright_ stunned him for a moment, leaving him gasping for a second or more until he realized that the insane overload of light had ebbed, and his eyes were adjusting sluggishly. The room was still slightly out of focus, but he could already feel his eyes trying to correct themselves, and he ignored the disjointed movements of the out-of-frame room as his eyes began to take in his surroundings-something they did automatically. He blinked a few times, and found himself in a dimly lit room with lights that hummed to themselves quietly, blissfully unaware of the damaged brick walls and old cement floor that they hung above diligently. Thin, narrow windows were evenly spaced nearer to the ceiling than the floor, and only a few were broken and allowing thin beams of moonlight to pour into the room. The floor was freezing, and unfortunately the cold seemed to have seeped into his skin, chilling his bones. He shivered unintentionally and sat up, trying not to take notice of the rush of blood that rushed to his head.

Geez, where was he? The last thing he remembered was going to bed last night at Uncle Barry's. He vaguely recalled being really excited for something, but he couldn't put his finger on it…Regardless, it had nothing to do with waking up here. Where ever 'here' was. Suddenly he was reminded of his headache as the pain flashed violently once again through his head. Squeezing his eyes as though he'd been hit, he put his hand to his head as if that would ward away the onslaught of murderous pain that racked him. However, just as his hand had begun to reach for his aching head, another hand shot out, grabbing his wrist and jerking him forwards, forcing him to his unprepared feet. This caused him to wobble, stumbling from one foot to another awkwardly before he regained his balance. After he was able to distribute his weight properly, he looked up to see who had disturbed him and had just now released their strong grip on him.

He blinked in mild confusion when he saw a blonde in a revealing, skin tight green outfit staring, her eyes twinkling ruefully, in front of.

"Nice move, Kid Crash." She told him, a slight half-smile tingeing her words with unmistakable smugness.

She had unbelievably long hair tied back into a pony tail, the deep blonde mane framing her head before hiding away into a green mask with wide-open slits for her gray eyes. Besides her green costume and army boots, her most puzzling accessory was the large bow she clutched in her hand tightly, and the sheath of arrows hanging accessibly from her back. However, the bow and arrows were only the most confusing parts of her _outfit_-the absolute strangest thing about this chick was this feeling that he knew her from somewhere.

Then from out of nowhere, a boy with ebony black hair melted out of the shadows, flipping down from some unseen perch above their heads. Wally cocked his head at the boy's sudden appearance taking notice of his domino mask and flowing cape, but was even more thrown by the pixie laugh that bubbled out, causing the young looking kid to cover his mouth with his hands in a futile effort to stifle his giggles.

"Sorry, KF," the boy mustered through small fits of control, "But knocking yourself out by running into a wall? _Nice_." The kid said, emphasizing 'nice' by dragging out the 'i' sarcastically.

Suddenly, without a moment of warning, Wally felt a hand wrap around his shoulder, the action accompanied by a strong voice asking, "Do you feel well enough to continue?"

Wally instantly took his eyes off the archer and the ninja and glued them to the _webbed_ hand that had just now begun to let go. Now, Wally liked to think of himself as fairly comfortable with fear and surprise, but he couldn't help it.

"Whoa!" he yelled loudly, pulling away from the hand swiftly-much faster than he had intended to move, but he didn't notice in his rush to escape the strange appendage-and causing him to accidently collide with a hard surface. At first his brain had told him he had hit yet another wall, but when Wally looked up, he found himself staring into a large red "S" outlined by an equally red shield, and then into two eyes that sparkle a luminous blue in the faint traces of moonlight-they didn't look happy with him.

"S-sorry, dude." Wally choked out to the teen to whom the shirt belonged instinctually, and then backed up slowly-noting that the teens formed a half circle now, leaving him cornered against a wall.

"What's wrong?" the dark skinned owner of the webbed hand asked him , and Wally shook his head, trying not to stare at the eel tattoos that coiled themselves around the guy's arms-oh, geez, where those _gills_?

Then he could almost feel the _click _in his brain. He'd seen these guys before! They'd been on the News a week or so ago. They were the Justice League wanna-be's that had been running around for the last few months.

Mentally he checked off each member of the merry band of side-kicks, the girl with the bow was Artemis, Green Arrow's latest rip-off, the black haired kid with the domino mask was Robin, the Batman's Boy Wonder, the guy with gills was Aqua-something-or-other, and the tall muscular teen with blue eyes was Superboy, Superman's kid. He felt himself relax. Okay, this wasn't so bad. In fact, if you were going to be far away from home, this was probably the best luck you could have.

"Well, I really need to get home," Wally said, answering Robin's question, "My name's Wally West, by the way."

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Author's Note: Some of you may have noticed that Miss Martian isn't in here, and that is intentional. We find out about where she is next chapter. Other than that, please insert clever disclaimer and dignified review requests here.


	2. Partail Amnesia

Memories of an Amnesiac

By Inscriber

Chapter Two: Partial Amnesia

As soon as the words left his mouth, the room that had been filled with an orchestra of humming fluorescent lights, whistling crickets, sounds of leaves rustling in the occasional cold wind of night from outside, and the constant but nearly inaudible sound of the pipes clinking-the sounds seemed to go still. The silence would have been ear-shattering, had the thump of breathing not remained to fill in the void. The sounds were still there, as anyone could tell if they listened, but no one was paying any attention to them anymore. Instead, focus was locked on the disoriented teen with blazing green eyes that were clouded by confusion and fiery red hair that was messily thrown back from traveling at high speeds. However, this reprieve of sound was short-lived. The apparently endless span of silence that had lasted milliseconds was broken instantly with the sharp sound of the Boy Wonder's glove slamming over Wally's mouth. The redhead's eyes widened in bewilderment before he began his speech of protest, but his words were stifled by the thick black material of Robin's glove, that was serving as an effective gag.

"There's a reason we call them _secret_ identities, Kid Mouth!" Robin hissed under his breath as he faced his friend's green narrowed gaze, at a loss for why KF would feel the need to tell them his name but sure to reprimand his absentminded friend before he blurted something else out.

Wally began to say something, but his words were muffled by his newly applied gag and came out as a blob of incomprehensible noise. Then he rolled his eyes and stiffly grabbed at Robin's wrist, pulling it down from in front his mouth and then huffed irritably.

"What kind of superheroes are you?" he asked rhetorically before his face knotted into an expression on puzzlement, "Secret identity? Listen, that's my _only_ identity." The freckled teen continued, not noticing as the whole team's eyes widened and they exchanged understanding looks at Wally's latest revelation, "Now seriously, can you guys get me home or what?"

Kaldur spoke first, "I think our friend has what would be known as amnesia." He said quietly, only loud enough for Superboy, Artemis, and Robin to hear.

"But he remembers his name. And where he lives." Superboy pointed out bluntly.

"He's faking." Artemis suggested firmly, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes.

"I don't think so…" Robin trailed, "He seems pretty sincere. Plus, whenever Wally lies, the left corner of his mouth twitches. He hasn't twitched once."

"Then how could he remember his name?" Artemis asked questioningly.

"It seems like he only remembers who he is as Wally West." Aqualad noted.

Robin nodded slowly, "But not as Kid Flash. So, he has amnesia…but partially."

Wally crossed his arms. This had to be not only the strangest night of his life, but also one of the most disappointing. He was thoroughly unimpressed with the teens that were still semi-circled around him. He had woken up here, in a cold, warehouse like room, and then been essentially ignored by the real-life superheroes who had been there to greet him. Well, not ignored. The little one had simultaneously slapped and gagged him while accusing him of having a secret identity. Now that he thought about it, he probably had a better shot of getting back to Central City by cab. Surely Uncle Barry would pay the fee when he got home. He was an understanding sort of person and would believe Wally when he told him about seriously not knowing how had woken up there…With a half formed plan in his mind he gave himself a quick nod as though in assurance and then turned towards the still conversing team.

He cleared his throat, drawing their attention back to him and gave them a half smile.

"Um, yeah. Seriously, thanks for the help you guys-really appreciate it and everything. But I half to go-Aunt Iris is probably having a conniption, or she's going to at least," he added, mostly to himself, before he continued, "So, if you guys don't know what I'm doing here, I'm going to catch a cab." He said, gesturing to an old rusty slab of obviously unloved metal that hr assumed served as a door.

Before anyone could say anything, Artemis had uncrossed her arms and allowed one of her hands to find a firm grip on her hip while the other hung with the heavy weight of the bow. Superpowers or no, her gaze bore into the speedster with scrutiny and seemed to hold him in place. Wally looked like a deer stuck in head lights, and he stopped his casual walk to the front door in mid-step.

"Uh…" he trailed, not sure what to say as the archer approached him, the orbs of gray inspecting him until she was only a few feet from him.

"Tell me right now if you're kidding," she said evenly, but her voice was low and sounded almost threatening. His eyes glanced at the sheath of arrows and he felt a prickle of anxiety tear down his spine.

"No, no…" he assured quickly, "I'm not kidding. I'll even have Barry pay! You guys don't even have to worry!" he said with mock cheerfulness.

Robin was suddenly beside Artemis, elbowing her in the side, his domino mask scrunched up into white slits.

"Geez, don't make it sound like we're going to mug him!" Robin said exasperated before turning his attention to Wally.

"Hey, listen," Robin said before pausing. Okay, Batman went over every battle strategy, every possible scenario of horrible happenings of unbelievable magnitude-however, "amnesia" was not on that list, which left the little bird at a loss for words, "Um, so, just to be sure-you seriously can't remember being Kid Flash?" Might as well be direct.

Wally looked taken aback and the whole team unintentionally leaned forward, awaiting his response.

"Who?" Wally asked. When the team seemed disappointed or in other cases, downright frustrated, he back peddled, "Um, he's not a big deal or something around here, right? Or she?"

At that, Artemis smiled slightly to herself, despite the fact that she was beginning to understand just how deep this problem really was. Bottomless pit was a pretty good descriptive comparison, but it lacked the proper depth-it went far deeper than that.

"He." Superboy corrected automatically, not quite sure what else he could offer to the conversation.

Robin sighed, and Kaldur stepped up beside the ebony-haired teen.

"We'll take you home." The Atlantian assured, "But we're making a pit stop first."

"Uh, okay." Wally said. He didn't have much of a choice did he?

"There's motorcycles out front." The Aqualad informed the teen-and that's when another rock found its way into everyone's stomachs. Wally had run to the warehouse. There were motorcycles-but only five.

Robin flicked a glance at Wally before returning his gaze back to the leader.

"I don't think he's gonna be able to run." Robin pointed out.

Wally narrowed his eyes. Man, did they think he was a wimp? He could run outside to a motorcycle-he wasn't a pansy! Okay, so motorcycles were a little fast, granted, but for some reason, he was actually somewhat longing to feel the wind smash around his face. Which didn't make a lot of sense, but hey.

"I can run!" Wally said defensively. "I'm not the fastest guy in the world, but I can run. Where are they?" Wally asked.

"Outside." Superboy said automatically without thinking.

"Okay, I'll be out there." Wally answered briefly, before he turned and sprinted towards the door just down a hallway near the room.

As soon as he did so however, the world smeared unintelligibly and he could feel the water stream from his eyes. He was going _so_ fast! His feet moved mechanically, powerfully propelling him forwards. The speed was unexpected and Wally was unprepared for the sheer force of speed-but what he was even more unprepared for the instant drain he felt. All the power melted away immediately, and he unintentionally faltered, his feet giving way beneath him and sending him tumbling to the unforgiving ground, his stomach rumbling demandingly as he skidded into the door.

He had been moving so fast that all the team had seen was Wally skidding across the floor and coming to rest just before he collided with the wall. There was had been a break in sight, a blur of yellow and red, and then there had been Wally, sliding uncontrollably right before skidding to a halt.\

Almost as fast as Wally himself, the team made their way over to the fallen speedster, who was just beginning to moan from the floor.

"What…was…that?" Wally gasped out.

"Super speed. Are you alright?" asked Kaldur, grabbing the teen's hand and pulling him to his feet. But instead of standing up, Wally leaned against the wall that had almost been his collision destination and took a deep breath before grabbing his stomach.

"Not the speed!" Wally moaned, "I'm so hungry!" he complained, and then his stomach growled again fiercely.

Suddenly it clicked with Robin.

"He needs food. His body's low on fuel, he's not used to hunger, and he can't remember how to control it." Robin explained.

"He ate right before we left this morning." Artemis said.

Robin nodded but then shook his head, "Yeah, but all he had was two banana's. Plus, I'd suspect it takes a lot more energy for his accelerated healing than it does running. And then he burnt the last of his energy running just now."

"I remember him saying something about his 'cupboards'." Artemis said, thinking back to that hot desert day. Which was pretty ironic considering he had had memory loss there to.

Robin nodded before grabbing the speedster's wrist compartment and snapping it open. However, it was empty, bare from some other mission.

"He didn't restock." Robin muttered.

Wally groaned again before looking up at the team, his eyes still blank as they would be with complete strangers.

"I feel light headed." Wally moaned.

The pain was unbearable. It felt like a million rats were gnawing on his stomach, each rat just as starved as Wally himself, and he could feel _their_ hunger as well, even as they continued to munch on him. It hurt so badly that he wanted to croak, but his body was heavy as though lead ran in his bloodstream, and everything seemed to be moving unbelievably slowly. The team's mouths seemed to take forever to open and close, and the noises were like they were talking under water.

Darkness was starting to tinge his vision and he remembered how lightheaded he had begun to feel. With another wave of nausea, he could literally feel his hunger as though it were a tangible thing.

Kaldur cold instantly feel the added weight as Kid Flash slumped against him. The teen was sill conscious, but he looked weak and could no longer support himself. The Atlantian turned to Superboy and handed him the drooping redhead.

"Carry him on your cycle." The leader instructed.

Superboy nodded an dthrew Wally of his shoulder like a rag doll.

"Where are we taking him?" Super boy asked as they made their way outside.

"Mount Justice" Kaldur answered.

"Who do you thinks gonna be more upset?" Robin wondered out loud, "Flash or Batman?"

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Author's Mailbag:

TO ALL: Sorry, I plan on updating more often, but I went to my grandparents this weekend to help paint.

Angelrider13: Well, he _was_ traveling at the speed of light. It had to happen eventually, right?

Ravenietta: Wow, thanks! I hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much!

Black Licorice Addict: Thank you! I will!

Princess Pea: Whoo! Thanks a bunch! Wally has what I'm deicding to call Partial Amnesia. Its where he can only remember his life as Wally West-not so much in the hero department.

Gray Areas: Thanks for the favorite! Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Bearsose: Aww! How sweet! Really, thank you!

KF-AxxMexx: I don't know…the mind is an interesting place. Thanks!

Rowanfall: Hey! Glad to see a familiar face! I hope you like this one just as much as Together We Stood! The other's reactions will be more played out in Chapter 3, I think. Whoo! Go fangirl!

Lilmissfashionista: Thanks! I hope you liked this chapter!

KaliAnn: I can't find your crossover Where did you post it?

Sincerely Seven: That was such a nice and lengthy review! Really, thanks a bunch! Glad to know you'll be looking out for it. They were on a training mission, which is revealed next chapter (It's safe to tell you, because it doesn't play that big of a role in the story.). POV will mostly be done for Wally, but will sometimes cross into third person. I inten on updating at least once for every two days. I'll let anyone know next time if there is a situation that will keep me from updating though. In this story they know Wally's full name. That's just how it worked out. Thank you so much!

Litra: Aww, shucks! Thanks boatloads!


	3. Surprise

Chapter 3: Surprise

The tendrils of morning had just started to tear into the night sky, streaks of light beginning to stain the darkened canvas. The pinkish tinge of a rising sun had been messily spilled into the horizon, giving Mount Justice a golden outline as ripples of light danced across the gently rolling water. The scene was almost peaceful, almost serene-but any hope of tranquility was dashed by the drone of motorcycle motors draining out of the hidden below ground entrance that was open just enough for the five teens to slip inside. However, even though the buzz of the motors faded instantly when the team had powered down the advanced motorcycles, the roar of Wally's stomach still managed to make almost as much noise.

Robin was the first off his cycle, the swish of his cape the only thing you could make out before he flung himself to the floor and darted over to Superboy, who was carefully lifting a barely conscious speedster up from the cycle.

Wally's eyes didn't even flicker open when he was jostled into an awkward bridal position while Robin tried to prod his friend around more comfortably in Conner's arms. The clone wasn't used to seeing the speedster so still, and it felt wrong somehow. However, he kept his mouth shut and simply followed a bustling little bird to the door, Aqualad and Artemis not far behind.

When the team entered through the mechanical sliding doors, they were greeted by the familiar setting of the training room, and for a second all of them wished they could have had a simple training meet here, instead of the warehouse. Suddenly, but truth be told not unexpectedly, the sound of a throat clearing filled the room and all eyes, save Wally's, were drawn to a dark figure. A very unhappy looking dark figure, Robin was quick to notice. Which wasn't a particularly good thing considering the bad news hadn't even been given yet. Though, he had to admit it probably wasn't very impressive that a simple training routine had left the team coming home with an unconscious speedster. Batman stepped forward, and despite the fact that his eyes were hidden by a cowl, you could sense the disapproval lurking within them.

"At first," The Batman began, his tone leaking gravity, "I was going to comment on you being late. However," he growled, "I will ignore that for now, as it seems that that is the least of your many mistakes. Instead, I'm going to ask what happened with him." Batman said, his gaze shifting to Wally, who opened his eyes slowly.

"Food…" he mumbled in a low voice before once again falling silent.

Batman's eyes widened momentarily under his cowl before they returned unnoticeably to their regular size. Understanding dawned on him instantly, as he had gone over every member's strengths and weaknesses extensively, including the Young Justice's. The young speedster had run out of fuel. And he needed to refuel quickly.

Without a word the Batman gestured for the team to follow him to the medical bay. As Robin knew, though, the silence would be temporary and a long lecture awaited the team. Robin shuddered at the thought that Bruce didn't even know all of it yet. And on top of all of that-they'd been late.

][][][][

The team glanced at Kid Flash from behind the glass that separated them. The freckled teen was hooked up to an army of tubes that were pumping nutrients into him that were being used just as soon as they entered his body. It would take a normal person at least a day to recover, but Wally would only need an hour or less. But as soon as he woke up, he'd need to eat more. About two meals worth of food.

"Does anyone want to explain to me what happened?" Batman asked, interrupting the team's inspection of their fallen teammate. Reluctantly, each teen turned away from the glass to look at the Dark Knight. His arms were crossed and he demanded explanation. Would Wally have been up to it, and with a memory, he would have made the sound of chirping crickets, a noise he had perfected of the tears. But he wasn't, and all the was left to fill in the immediate hush that enveloped the bay was the sound of Kaldur's bare feet stepping forward before he offered his story.

"After we departed from Mount Justice, we soon came across the selected training area we were instructed to practice in. For the experience of inside, close encounter battles. Once we arrived, we went through several training exercises." Kldur explained, starting at the beginning, "After we had acted out some of the easier drills, we decided to move onto the more difficult maneuvers. During the session, Kid Flash…" Kaldur was trying to find a way to put the scene more elegantly, but gave up, "Ran into a wall. When he came to consciousness, we found he had no memory of his life as Kid Flash, only as Wally West. Then we ran into the food situation and had to leave at once." The leader finished, the rest of the team giving agreeable nods, aside from Superboy who merely nodded in acceptance.

"He has amnesia?" Batman asked as soon as the Atlantian had finished. It wasn't a pleasant pitch, the team could simply nod.

"I'm calling the Flash." Batman muttered, and his cape whipped behind him as he made his way to the computer that served as a communicator as well, not looking forward to dealing with an over-protective Barry.

][][][][

Batman pressed in the Flash's contact number and waited patiently until the glowing screen's loading bar melted away into the Flash's masked face. He was casually leaning against a squad car, clearly just finishing a conversation with an equally friendly cop. His smile was wide, reminiscent of Wally's hefty grin.

"Flash, get down to Mount Justice. Now." Batman ordered, and Flash's demeanor changed from open and friendly to alert and ready.

"What's up Bats? What's going on?" The older speedster asked instantly. His giant smirk was now touched at the tips with a frown.

"Kid Flash was knocked unconscious during their late night training assignment and woke up with amnesia of his Kid Flash identity. It stands to reason that he is not aware of his super-speed. Also, he was put in the medical bay and is currently having nutrients being pumped into his body as he nearly starved." Batman informed his teammate at low tone, as gentle a voice as the Knight was capable of.

"He had what?" Barry yelled directly after the Bat had finished, "How did this happen? Is he going to be okay? I'm on my way! Is he alright? How long had he been unconscious? Is he still out of it?" Without him realizing it, Barry had slipped into an old habit that both he and Wally shared-when anxiety began to poke at them, their tendency to speed-talk took over. The words had begun to blur and Batman cleared his throat with a low rumble.

"Flash." Bruce warned, alerting his friend of his unintentional slip. Flash paused briefly and then nodded.

"Can't J'honn fix his memories? Or how about his niece?" Flash offered, his lightning quick mind already trying to think of solutions.

"They probably could, but both have left on an extended practice to prepare Miss Martian for the likes of Psimon."

Barry gritted his teeth in frustration.

"I'll be there in ten minutes." Flash promised and the background behind him blurred as he took off, the link ending just then.

As though the Flash's announcement had woken his protégé, an alert popped up showing signs that Wally had regained consciousness. Quickly, Bruce sent a message to Robin telling him to make as much food as he could in a few minutes and to get it to Kid Flash directly after.

][][][][

Wally peeled his eyes open, each eyelid weighing as much as a car. He looked down instantly, his body tense, but he relaxed as soon as he saw the white sheets that cuddled around him. He was in a bed. He shifted down deeper into the sheets, shutting his eyes closed again and enjoying the warmth of the soft bedding. That was the weirdest dream he had _ever_ had. His stomach rumbled annoyingly, insistent that it needed food, but a whole lot less painful than his dream-not nearly as dramatic. He thought back hazily to the dim room with broken windows and cold wind, shivering internally at how realistic it has been. Especially the other teens from that crime-fighting league. If he didn't know better, he would have sworn it had happened. But that was ridiculous He didn't run that fast, and hunger wasn't that severe. He was just Wally West, a redhead that had a major Physics paper due today. He could almost smell the chemicals now. Sweet but muted, just a trace of sourness nestled inside. His nose wrinkled and his shut eyes scrunched closed. He sniffed again. Wait, he really _could_ smell the chemicals! His eyes shot open, his brilliant shaded green eyes stinging from the action but insistent on seeing their surroundings. The first thing he noticed were the tubes trailing up his arm, pumping something into him. His first instinct was to rip them out, but when his hand moved to catch the rubbery white unwelcome attachments, he saw that his hand was gloved in a bright red material. He stopped abruptly, just now seeing his canary-yellow suit.

"What am I wearing?" he screeched, but his voice was rough and it seemed to tire him out.

The sound of an opening door drew his attention the far side of the room, where he noticed a hospital door just now swinging shut. The speedster blinked with shocked green eyes as he recognized the little boy who had slapped him in his dream. But if he was here, and this wasn't his bed…Oh geez.

"It wasn't a dream," Wally gasped in disbelief, but before he could continue, his nose twitched. The ebony haired kid was holding a plate piled high with sandwiches. The logical part of his brain clicked off and he sat straight up, his hands automatically reaching out for the plate.

The kid gave Wally a half smile before shoving the entrée at the starving speedster. Without even pausing, Wally had downed five huge bites of the first sandwich and had begun to slaughter the crust. The first ham sandwich was gone in just three seconds, and number two was well on its way to meeting its unlucky counterpart. Wally didn't even register taste until the third one, and he finally enjoyed the fourth before he set the plate down on a side table near him, leaving only a tiny mound of crumbs in place of the mountain of sandwiches had been. He blinked a few times and then looked around, for the first time feeling his hunger set aside for the moment.

Now that he look up, he saw the team from his 'dream' clumped together near the door, watching him. He stared back at them confused and then swallowed.

"Uh, thanks. Sorry about that, I've been a big eater since I turned twelve." He explained before a memory came flooding back and a frown found its way onto his face, "You guys said you were taking me home! Do you know how badly Aunt Iris is going to kill me?" he asked rhetorically before he thought of something else, "And Uncle Barry's going to have a _fit_! I'll be lucky if he takes me to get my permit this month!" He said in horror.

"I don't think that's going to be a problem." Kaldur said honestly. Batman had called the Flash about three minutes ago. Which meant the Scarlet Speedster should be there any moment.

As though the thought had summoned him, a whirl wind of blurry indistinct red flew into the room, the form catching up with itself as the speeding object came to an instant halt just in front of the team.

Wally just about had a heart attack right there. The good kind of heart attack. It was the Flash. _The_ Flash, the hero of Central City. Wally knew it was a tad immature of him, especially given his situation, but his childhood puppy-love for the Scarlet Speedster had never ebbed and now he was _right there._ Literally, _right there._ Wally's green eyes practically glowed and for the first time since last night, a genuine smile cracked his lips.

"Wally!" The Flash said, and it dawned on the freckled teen that not even a full second has passed, "Are you all right?" The speedster asked in a concerned voice before zooming over to the side of the hospital bed, careful not to knock out the tubes that lined his nephew's arms.

Wally forgot everything, the hunger, the weird suit he was wearing, and the overall strangeness of everything. The Flash had just said his _name_. _The Flash _had asked if he was okay!

"Are you kidding me?" Wally said, hating how his voice was still kind of weak sounding and he made a mental note to ask what the heck had happened, "You're the Flash! Quick, sign something!"

The room filled with an awkward tension as Barry paused. He had heard that his nephew had amnesia, but he hadn't realized how much it hurt to stare into blank eyes and know they didn't remember you.

"Wally? It's me." Barry tried again, and Wally nodded vigorously, energy from the food working its way into his system.

"I know!" he said excitedly, "Uncle Barry will totally _freak_ when he hears about this!" Wally said, already imagining how he would retell this to his uncle. He got the impression his uncle liked the Flash best too, and the blonde would be just as interested in the memento as Wally.

Barry felt his throat constrict a little.

"Maybe all he needs is something to jog his memory?" Robin suggested.

Without even pausing, Barry nodded fluidly and pulled down his cowl, revealing his blonde hair.

Wally's mouth hung open in disbelief and his eyes grew hide.

"What is going on?"

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Author's Note: Mailbag

TO ALL: Wow! Just thanks for all the reviews!

Angelrider13: Flash defiantly. And I don't think his little rant had ended yet. X)

Irenerb: Thank you! I hope you liked it!

JanelleL: Whoa! My story has a stalker! Hope you liked Barry's freak out, and don't think it's over

KaliAnn: Sweet! I feel like an idiot, by the way.

KF-AxxMexx: I know…the pitfalls of being a speedster. :P Thanks for your review!

RowanFall: This one is a LOT different to write, and I enjoy Wally's POV. Thanks for the descriptive love! By the by (curse you-lol, jk), I did! However, I'm seriously disappointed by the Lack of team time we've had. Hopefully Homefront will be better!

Sincerely Seven: Aww! Thank you! Amnesiac Wally is pretty fun to write for, especially in the mettings and team stuff I want to fit in! Thanks for your reviews! :D

Litra: I know! There's more to it than just running. Thanks for noticing!

TotallyLosingIt: LOL, I love your name! Just had to put that out there! And thanks! I'm glad to know I'm still getting Wally even though he's not really himself right now! Thanks for your comment! Made me laugh with the P.S note!

Bearose: Thanks *smiles big*

xxHeadInTheStarsxx: Whoo! This made me so happy! Apparently I hitting the characters! Thank you so much! I was worried with Aqualad (who isn't?)and Superboy was iffy with me, so thanks for the assurance! Also, thanks for enjoying Robin's little line in there!

Superfluffball: Couldn't agree more! I hope Homfront gives Wally a little love!

Moonwolfdragon: Hmm, I might. And even though I'm a spit-fire at heart, I don't know if I'll pair him with anyone. Maybe if you squint! (By the way…you're close.)

GrayAreas: YES! You guys have this peron to thank for encouraging me to write this fic! :)


	4. Tension

Chapter Four: Tension

The last few seconds played itself over in a short but endless loop, the same scene over and over, his mind a broken record stuck on a single track. The Boy Wonder was there, his tone trying to be upbeat as he suggested trying to jog his memories-of what, Wally wasn't sure-his mouth trying very hard to muster an encouraging smile, and then there was the main event. Then, before Wally could have even begun to comprehend what was going on, the Flash reached for his cowl. A million thoughts had shot through Wally's mind at once, but he hadn't even dared to entertain the idea that the Flash was going to reveal his identity to some random stranger. However, the older speedster did just that. Now the record slowed, scratching before the scene played on. All Wally had at first noticed was the red, slick material as it was pulled down, sliding quickly despite how slow it may have seemed. That was all that had registered. Until, of course, Wally had noticed the bright blonde hair that had been neatly hidden away beneath the disguise. It gave Wally milliseconds of silence before it hit him where he recognized the hair from, and a few more to realize he _recognized_ the hair. Disbelieving, Wally's wide green orbs dropped down to the man's face. It was all there. The same shade of baby blue eyes, the permanent laugh lines that outlined his kind face, and the gentle smile that seemed strained at the moment. It was all there, but dominated by the bright red suit and shining lightning symbol that was clinging to his chest. It was there, and Barry was there, and the Flash. But they were the same person. They were one and the same. Even though that was impossible. It just _couldn't_ be possible. Barry didn't run at the speed of light. Uncle Barry sat down at the table on school mornings, he read the paper, he watched the news, he went to work and drove a car. He was normal. He didn't run around in red elastic tights somehow making them look manly. He didn't break the sound barrier. He didn't fight villains and hang out with the other heroes. He was _Barry Allen_!

And yet, he had seen it happen. He had been witness to the flying wind and almost unintelligible blurs that had settled into the form of Flash, and then he had seen with his own two eyes as the Flash _pulled down his cowl,_ to reveal the face of his uncle.

The broken record skipped again, and there was Robin once more, a forced, half formed grin being untidily plastered onto his face while he offered his contribution of-

"Wally?" Barry asked, gently jostling the teen's shoulder. His nephew's eyes had clouded with thought and he had seemed to be frozen with contemplation. He had been that way for at few seconds, which felt like an eternity for the Fastest Man Alive. A very long eternity.

"U-uncle Barry?" Wally asked, not taking his eyes off the man. He was so confused, and he was so tired of being confused…

Barry's eyes filled with hope and elation, and even the team relaxed-despite how tense they had been to just see the Flash tear down his cowl, his thin mask of an alternate identity. But like most things, the reprieve was short lived.

"You remember?" Flash asked. He'd been worried over nothing. Muscles that had been tense with worry and bother relaxed, uncoiling from their once firmly frozen positions.

"Remember what? What is going on?" Wally asked loudly, losing his control on his burning curiosity. It was like a flame, feeding on his frustration and bewilderment.

Barry's face fell, and the team stood by the door, silent and without answers.

"Wally…" Barry began, but seeing the clear unknowing in his nephew's eyes halted him. This line of conversation was pointless. It was dead. Instead he continued differently, "Listen, I'm going to explain some things to you, okay?"

"Please do-Because I have no idea where I am or why I'm in a hospital bed, or why I'm not full even though I just ate, or why I look like I belong in a Halloween Costume catalog." Wally said, and considering what he'd been through, no one blamed him, "And I also want to know to know why you're in the Flash's costume."

Barry shook his head softly before turning to Robin and the other teens who were staring at both of the speedster's with looks that varied from sadness to discomfort and ranged with everything in between and looking back to Wally again.

"You're probably not going to believe a lot of this, but I promise that it's absolutely entirely true," Barry promised before he gave his little redhead a moment to think on the words while also giving him time to think on what he was going to say. Batman said he only remembered the life of Wally West, so Barry decided to start the day the twelve year old Wally West had become Kid Flash.

"When you were twelve," Barry began, but Wally interrupted.

"Twelve? What does that have to do with anything?" the teen asked, somewhat irritated. Here he was in a hospital bed, not even a foot away from the Flash, who had just found out was his uncle Barry, and he decides to launch off into some story of when Wally was twelve?

"Listen, okay?" the elder speedster said before continuing on, "When you were twelve, you recreated the same experiment that turned me into the Flash."

Wally gave a startled look. Sentence one and already blank stares. The conversation continued on like this for another thirty minutes or so, and all throughout the rest of the conversation Wally was completely and utterly lost. The occasional question would bubble out from the baffled teen, but for the rest of it, Wally was uncharacteristically quiet.

The room's contents sat and listened too, the Team watching for acknowledgment, recognition, or just some sign that maybe somewhere, a memory was trying to make itself known. Robin was the by far the most troubled, aside from Barry of course, by Wally's loss of memory. The speedster and him were good friends, and each acted as the other's brother. They'd known each other since Robin was accepted into the Bat Family and had taken on the darker elements of crime with the Dark Knight. The two had even begun to hang out in their civilian lifestyles too, hanging out after school, playing video games, pulling pranks, and being able to discuss their adventures with another person that wasn't a trusted adult-an opportunity that didn't present itself to terribly often.

Artemis was leaning heavily against the nearest wall, nestling herself in the corner of the room. She was quietly debating with herself about the string of events, feeling guilty about at first questioning the legitimacy of Kid Flash's amnesia. This was really bugging her because she wasn't supposed to feel guilt, and even if she did, it wasn't supposed to be towards Wally, of all people. He most definitely wasn't guilty for his distrust. But however much she didn't want to, she did. And it was an uncomfortable and out-of-depth feeling that clung to her stomach and squeezed at throat. Guilt sucked.

Kaldur was experiencing a similar feeling, but for entirely different reasons. He was the leader. The whole team had decided, had trusted him enough, to put him in charge of them, of their lives. He was responsible for anything that happened, accountable for every battle scar, for every injury, for every trauma that the team had to endure. He carried the weight of this on his shoulders every time they went on a mission, and he carried it well. Or so he had thought. Evidently, as proven by the blank looks of disorientation and disbelief on Kid Flash's face the weight he had thought he had bared so well was really dragging against the ground. Whatever happened to his team, his adoptive land family, was ultimately his fault. So Wally's amnesia was his burden, his error, his mistake. His guilt.

Superboy didn't feel guilt. He didn't know what he felt exactly. Whatever it was, it wasn't enjoyable. It felt dark and cold, slick like some morbid veil he couldn't shake off of himself. Conner didn't have a wide circle of friends, and aside from the first few meetings at Cadmus, Wally had attempted to be kind and friendly towards the clone-a fact that was appreciated as much as any others. Melancholic moodiness hung in the air around him, thick and muddy. But all he could do was sit and watch and wait-a fact that made his bad mood even worse. So thinking, an icy look fiercely took hold of him while he crossed his thick strong arms defensively across his shirt and exhaled a deep breath that sounded like disgust.

The conversation seemed to be reaching a close and attention was redrawn back to the conversing speedster.

"So, in short, you're Kid Flash, I'm Flash, and this is your team." Barry said, sending a quick gesture around the room, vaguely indicating the team.

Wally took a deep breath. None of this made sense. He didn't remember a single thing his uncle described. He didn't remember a chemical accident that he'd created when he was twelve. He didn't remember any of the battles 'Kid Flash' had gone on, and he certainly didn't remember a team. At first he thought his uncle was lying, that this was some elaborate prank, but how could it be when there wasn't a motive? Where were the hidden cameras?

"So…you're saying I'm a super hero who has the same powers of the Flash?" Wally asked. He wasn't sure if he believed it.

"Nope," Robin inserted jokingly, "You get bloody noses." He said, smiling a little at the memory of Kid Flash starring down a wall threateningly before running into it. The wall, apparently, wasn't as threatened as it should have been. And Kid's nose wasn't as straight as it should have been.

Barry shot Robin a look before returning his attention to Wally, who would have been mortified in any other circumstance.

"Yes." Barry answered, his more serious tone catching the redhead's attention.

"Uncle Barry, I really want to believe you…I mean seriously, how cool would that be? But that's a little unbelievable."

][][][][

Author's Note: This chapter was really hard to write. I went through three different beginnings, and I'm still not entirely pleased with this one. So, for the good of my sanity, I'm just going to stick with his one. Once again, I would just like to give a SUPER HUGE THANK YOU to all my awesome repliers out there! Each and every one of you deserves a virtual cookie!

Mailbag:

KaliAnn: Thank you! And you were the first to reply to Chap. 3!

Angelrider13: And right you are! But that is for another chapter…*evil grin*

Sincerely Seven: Critiques are welcome! They make a better writer and better stories! And now that I read over it, I can see that that was a very awkward transition. I'll keep an eyes out for those in the future! Thank you so much for your review and the polite critique. Thank you, by the way, for the compliments on Wally's reaction.

GhostDog401: Thanks! Yeah…this really hasn't been Wally's day. :/

JanelleL: Oh! I didn't mean to not respond to you the first time! I am so sorry! Oh, and in answer to your question, Wally is living with Barry and Iris right now and I'm still debating on whether or not to go Wally-Abuse with this story. I really appreciate your reviews, and thank you! You get two virtual cookies!

Irenerb: Like Wally's reaction?

Scarlet Mist: I have never intended to cause your pillow so much pain, LOL, but I promise to pay any hospital bills that may occur from this story. It has my word!

KF-AxxMexx: ROFL, your smiley at the end was perfect!

TotallyLosingIt: This one will be awkward too…(If I could evil laugh, I would right…here) And KF does know that's Robin. It was just a description.

xxHeadInTheStarsxx: It is for the simple reason that Robin and Wally possibly have the best friendship ever which would make them amazing even if they weren't so awesome by themselves! Them and Artemis are hands down my favorite characters! Wally, Robin, and Artemis-centric! Thanks! On a side note, I really hope we see more of our fave ninja, redhead, and archer in Homefront.

RowanFall: I love your sense of humor, just had to throw that out there first! LOL, I CRACKED UP! ( *whisper*….LOL) Thanks for the kind words!

Litra: I'll try, but I've never been a lengthy writer….

Adoglover5: Wally is the best fan-boy ever. 'Nough said. Besides that that was the best Wally face comparison ever. :O

Pielover222: *blushes* Thanks! And…I don't know. Just kinda…showed up?

GrayAreas: Grr…my Private Messaging is being all weird and won't send! :/ I'll see if I can fix it…FAQ, watch out! Also, thank you! That's really nice of you!

DocHatchet: YAY! Thanks! Did you enjoy this one?


	5. Unbelievable

A/N: Words like this "Wordslikethis" are speed talking. Now you will not all think I have no spelling skills whatsoever.

Chapter 5: Unbelievable

Batman thrummed his dark gloves against the cool metal of the keyboard as he waited. The screen glowed, illuminating his mask with the words "Connection in Progress" as they played across the monitor. The sound of his clicking fingers moved about the room like a creeping cat. It was the only noise present in the room, and by far the most deafening. It had taken three minutes so far, and while that span of time did not appear to be too long, the connection was usually set up in seconds. Batman silently cursed the time because the waiting period most likely meant that the two were out in the deeper parts of space, which was going to take at least a day's worth of travel. The words flashed again, and once more before the phrase "Connecting…" scrolled lazily to the left, disappearing before reentering on the right side of the screen. Another flicker and his desired contact took up the screen.

"Batman." The green Martian answered calmly despite his subtle surprise, "Why have you called? I alerted the League of my and M'gann's leave." Martian Manhunter informed the Knight.

"I know. We've had…complications." Batman growled. J'ohnn straightened up immediately, alert and waiting.

"What's happened?" The green man asked calmly. In the background, you could see his niece turn her head, her face worried.

"It's Kid Flash." The Batman started, and from behind the Martian, Megan's look of worry grew more concerned.

"What's wrong with Wally?" she asked, and J'honn held up his hand for her to wait. She held her tongue, choosing only to watch over her uncle's shoulder.

"While on a training run, he gave himself amnesia." Batman told the two, and they exchanged looks, "He can only remember his life as Wally West."

"Amnesia…I see." J'honn said coolly, in contrast with Megan's look of concern, "I can restore his memories." The Martian promised.

Batman gave an approving nod, causing his cape to sway slowly.

"When can you get here?" the Batman questioned. He was hoping for one day. That would be the best.

"We are not on Earth. It will take two human day's time for us to arrive." The Martian decided after a moment's pause for thought.

"Contact the Mount Justice frequency's to let us know you have arrived." Batman said, the words rumbling out of his throat.

The Martian nodded in acceptance and then the connection ended, the once gleaming screen dull and the alert "Transmission Ended" fading into a black background.

Two days was twenty four hours longer than hoped for, but there was not a lot that could be done about that. They just had to keep West in the Mountain for forty eight hours, give or take. Which Batman was certain would be easier than keeping Robin in school for six.

][][][][

Barry sucked in air to calm his emotions that were working and processing things at the speed of sound. When the scene replayed in his head, which it had-thirty six times and counting-even he had to admit it sounded unlikely. In fact, had Barry not lived it himself, he would have denied the possibility of it as well. But he had lived it-and so had his nephew, which was why this was so frustrating. It was as though some intense pressure were weighing everyone in the room now.

"Don't you remember _running_?" Robin asked suddenly, causing the still room to jump with the unexpected noise. It had been frozen with silence, and Robin's voice had shattered the awkward quiet.

Wally shifted his surprised eyes at Robin, and once again it hit his friend with a little bit of hurt with their lack of recognition. His best friend in the world didn't know him.

"Running? " Wally questioned.

"Just a few hours ago? In the warehouse?" the teen prompted, searching his friend 'expression. Wally flashed a look of familiarity and he nodded, his shaggy orange hair bouncing.

"Yeah, right before I fell." The redhead provided. Robin shot the rest of his team a half smile in triumph.

"So, to run that fast, you'd have to be a Flash, right?" Robin encouraged, saying it confidently.

"Yeah, but I was really light headed, and things changed speeds a lot," Wally explained thoughtfully and logically, "I was so out of it, I wouldn't have been surprised to think I was flying. And that would make me Superman's kid, too right?"

"No." Conner interjected piercingly, and Kaldur shot the clone a sympathetic look that also held the underlying message that clearly reminded Superboy that Wally wouldn't remember the dysfunctional relation.

"Wait-changing speeds?" Barry asked, steering the conversation back to safer waters. There were simply tides you did not tread, and in the superhero gig, family was just about the biggest storm you could hope to tackle.

"Well, yeah." Wally said with his voice now uncertain.

"Wally, explain." Robin instructed his friend when the speedster remained quiet.

"You all talk really slow. At first I thought it was because I was so delirious, and then I wondered if it was because you thought I was an idiot."Wally said uncertainly, knowing he sounded crazy. Which, he admitted to himself, at this point, was very possible. After all, his uncle _had _just removed his Flash cowl. And he was surrounded by teenage superheroes. Wally's stomach dropped to his feet.

"Uncle Barry?" Wally asked, "Am I crazy?"

The room paused and Uncle Barry's features relaxed. He had forgotten how slow everything, especially speech, seemed when he had first gotten his powers. And Wally had forgotten too, but in a very different way.

"Wallyisthisbetter?" Barry asked, leaving a group of very confused teens at a loss. However, exempt from this group was Wally and he looked relieved.

"See,''ttheyalljusttalkregular?" Wally asked his voice changing to the far more comfortable speed with ease.

Barry thew his cowl over his face before turning to the rest of the Young Justice team.

"He can't understand you very well." Barry explained.

"Very few of us speak gibberish." Artemis grumbled.

Barry gave a real laugh. It was loud and friendly and it caused even Wally to smile.

"I prefer to call it gibbe_rush_" Flash said grinning, "He's not used to slowing down his speed anymore, so when people talk at normal speed it sounds like…thiiiis toooo hiiiiiiim." Barry said, lengthening each words to an almost unbearable length.

The others looked at each other in surprise but it made sense. If Wally's body moved fast, why wouldn't his mind?

"I'm going to talk to him for a minute. Go tell Batman to get lunch ready."

"He just ate." Superboy said.

"Take it from someone who lives with him-that was a snack. Give him a couple hours." Barry said jokingly, but meaning e every word.

Once the group of teenager's had left, Barry turned his attention back to the freckled teen, even though he hadn't ever truly lost it.

"'mtellingthetruth." Barry said.

Wally nodded. His uncle had never lied to him once, aside from where he hid the Christmas presents.

"ButthatsimpossibleUncleBarry," Wally said, not realizing just how fast he was speaking, "."

"Notifyouhadamnesia." Flash said calmly, eyeing his nephew's expression.

"'?Atagetwelve??"

"Wally,.AnditalsoexplainswhyI'mhavingtotalksofastrightnow." Barry pointed out.

Wally stopped in thought and Barry watched his affirmation of disbelief fall from his face. Wally noticed for the first time how fast he'd been talking. He noticed how fast his Uncle's lips had been opening and closing. And then there were the facts. He _was_ hungry, he had been running fast. However, his run could have just been a result of his starvation, his bodies way of coping before finally shutting down. However, even with that in mind, he _was_ inside the Mount Justice base with _the Flash_, who was also somehow his _uncle_. Wally's head hurt.

"…UncleBarry,IthinkIbelieveyou." Wally sighed, and then noticed his speed of speech, "I mean, I uh, think I believe you." The redhead retried, trying to slow his dialogue down to the point it had been on, despite hoe awkward it was.

Barry widened a white grin at his adoptive nephew and ruffled his hair.

"Think you're good enough to get out of bed?" Barry asked, offering his hand to Wally. The teen gave a short nod before heaving himself up.

He was initially surprised with how hard it was to get up. When Barry had at first reached his hand out, Wally had thought it was another attempt at humor. But moving was _work_. Thankfully it wasn't weakness so much as the feeling of _ouch_. His leg muscles were feeling some serious burn, and the blood rushed to his head when he finally did manage to convince his head to not wobble to the side. After the first few seconds, though, he did shake off the dizziness and grabbed onto Flas-err, Uncle Barry's forearm for support. His legs felt like noodles when weight first greeted them, but the regained the proper constancy to stand directly afterwards.

][][][][

Author's Mailbag

TO ALL: Okay, I am _so_ sorry. But because of the long wait, I'm going to give you a preview for the next chapter! It includes lots of Robin, Artemis, and Wally friendship, and some Kaldur and Supey friendship! I promise! And I'm going to try to post it by tomorrow or the next day! Am I forgiven for the hiatus?

GrayAreas: My PMs is working again, but the messages display funky, like one words is one line and the nest one starts another. It's super annoying! And thank you! HAHAH! I SO laughed when I read the last part!

Angelrider13: LOL, well, all I can say is that I wholly agree. :D

JanelleL: I hope your brain's okay! Hopefully the two cookies kept you preoccupied long enough to stall the Cliffie Monster! Thanks! And I'm glad you liked the questions! Very kind! I'm all blushing now! Good 'ol flattery! ^-^ Really makes an author feel _that _much better!

Litra: SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS! *throws hands up in the air* Finally! *smiles big* Thanks! I hope you get over yours soon! Maybe you would like to borrow some of my specially designed TNT that blows writer's block to smithereens? If I find it, I'll let you know.

Sincerely Seven: First off, I just love how long your reviews are. Just wanted that initial thanks to be known! Also, I love how much you're reading into this, and all I can say is read the TO ALL note. *grins evily* And, I didn't know the Flash comics had done something similar! Hmm, kind of wish I could read it…

Irenerb: I'm thinking I just may put some Spitfire in here. However, because since in both fics I've made for YJ someone asks for a Waltermis, I'm probably going to write a small one-shot or two shot. *grins*

GhostDog401: Aww! I didn't mean to make it sad! Promise the next chapter is anything but (except some stuff, but the part that is minimal.)

RowanFall: I'm sure you will get first review soon! LOL! Sorry to update late! (Hey! I'm a poet and I had no idea!) Glad you liked the other character's perspectives! Personally, I liked Aqualad's the best too, but I don't want to sound conceited. I just liked the way it turned out. By-the-by (…I did it again!) , very impressive Joker laugh.

Kristie Lynn: I may just include that now, I like it! Thanks for the compliments (That's right, plural. You gave enough for it to be plural. Stop what you're doing right now and pat yourself on the back)! And, I share the same unhealthy obsession you do. ^-^

Juliet Claire: *Huge smile* Thanks! Hope you liked it!

xxHeadInTheStarsxx: Robin is possibly the best friend in the world and I'm glad he and Wally get along. And thanks for the wrap-up line because I was a little iffy on it. In response to your review of my review responding to your review, (This _won't_ get confusing-LOL) DID YOU LIKE HOMEFRONT! Major focus on Robin and Artemis! Not so Wally centric, but got to love his acting skills! Him and Superboy's. They rival Christian Stewert (but then again, who doesn't?)

KF-Axx-Mexx: Wally, I formally apologize for putting you in awkward situations. X) However, I will absolutely continue to do it!

TotallyLosingIt: Thanks! I wondered if anyone would spot that! And LOL, I love your imagery! (Melted. MELTED.)

ScarletMist: Pillow? Hanging in there ,buddy? Glad your pillow appreciates it and thank you for the awesome compliment! :D

Adoglover5: Second person to catch the "His little redhead"! Whoo! High five!


	6. Friends

Chapter Six: Freinds

Since he had only seen the slick, sterile walls and gleaming cream tiles of the medical bay, it took Wally by momentary surprise to find that the walls just beyond his doors were coarse rocks of brown, the walls and the ceiling meeting in an arch with metal lining for support springing from the wall every so often. Bright but not overbearing lights dotted the ceiling evenly and illuminated the long hallway and metal flooring that dimly shined beneath his feet. Barry's strong hand was lightly gripping Wally's shoulder, but because of the thick padding of his vivid yellow costume all he could feel was a weight that was causing him to lean to the left in direction of the mass. He couldn't believe it. It was just so…overwhelming. He was apparently some amnesiac superhero-that was a lot to take in when all you could remember was going to sleep normal and waking up surrounded by heroes. Not only the heroes, but waking up to find that your body was not as how you remembered leaving it. He could move just as fast as the Flash, his idol for so long, who had turned out to be his uncle. One minute he had been average, plain and simple Wally West, and the next he was Kid Flash. And despite the massive shift, he couldn't help it. He was grinning ear to ear with happiness, the only nagging feelings of uncertainty and confusion gnawing on him in the back of his mind lightly, just enough to remind him that this wasn't normal. But 'normal' didn't seem to apply to him anymore-or it hadn't for a while.

The two speedsters approached the end of the hallway to a large metal door with a diagonal indention marking where it supposedly would open from. Wally stood there for a few milliseconds, waiting for his uncle to do something or at least push the door open. However, his mentor didn't make a move, and right as the redhead was about to question why, a beeping sound pierced the air. Abruptly, a shinning but thin veil of light blanketed Flash's figure in a pale red.

"Flash 04" a mechanical female voice said, emanating from the small computer.

"Kid Flash, B03" the women intoned and Wally's green eyes widened as the light enveloped his skin, scrolling up and down his body before shutting off promptly and disappearing as the door opened horizontally in front of the two speedsters. Barry smiled at Kid's expression-it exactly matched the first time it had happened to him those few years ago. And he still hadn't had his camera.

Wally glanced up at his uncle who was grinning with amusement, and his cheeks burned even though he wasn't quite sure why.

The door slid open with no sound, gently gliding in on itself until it revealed a whole different room. The room wide open and roomy, filled by a small kitchen area and a green coach off to the side. A television roughly the same size and shape of a football field hung in the backdrop, but it wasn't being put to very good use, as indicated by the large letters that spelled out "No Signal". But the vastness of the room didn't end there, and he could make out a wide empty space in a far off corner of the room. The outfitting of the room almost made you forget that you were in a cave.

"Whoa." Wally as soon as he stepped into the room.

As soon as the words escaped his mouth, barely having time to enter the world, four teens instantly had their heads popped out from behind the coach where they had been waiting. For some time, was Wally's first thought.

Each pair of eyes (and sunglasses) were instantly glued on him and waiting. However, Uncle Barry saved the younger speedster from having to make the first attempt at conversation.

"Okay, I'm going to go talk to Batman and see what he has to say about getting J'honn and Megan. You guys keep an eye on Wally," the Flash said, though it pained to an almost physical degree to leave behind his nephew in such an awkward position. But the faster he and the Batman could work something out, the faster Wally would be Kid Flash again. And to be perfectly honest, Barry and Wally were all about speed. And with that, Barry sped off towards the computer room, nothing but a blur to all but Wally.

The general feelings of happiness and excitement he had been feeling seemed to melt off of Wally instantly as his uncle left the room and he was faced by a horde of young super-heroes. All of whom, were staring at him. And so Wally stared back. For a really long time, by Wally's standards, but apparently his grasp of time was meaningless now.

Robin was the first one to speak, as the silence was going to kill him if he did not break it. The little bird flitted off the coach and darted over to the redhead, a huge grin on his face.

"Glad to see you better! Kind of hard to keep your traught when someone's in the medical bay." Robin exclaimed jokingly before playfully punching the speedster in the arm.

Wally focused for a minute while he tried to readjust himself for the slow words, and when he did, his face clouded into a mixture of a half smile and confusion.

"Traught?" He asked, as he once again slowed is words down.

The rest of the team had made their way over to him. They had changed out of their costumes and were all in regular clothing. Robin was dressed in skinny jeans and a bright green shirt with dark reflective sunglasses fastened to his face, which didn't make a whole lot of sense considering they were inside…underground. Artemis, the blonde, had changed from her dark green outfit to jeans and a cream colored shirt with a brown jacket clinging to her arms a swaying a bit. Superboy was wearing...his costume, but without the "S". Aqualad was wearing a big sweater that mostly covered his gills and some sweatpants that swished when he walked. It was different to see them out of costume.

"Yeah, traught." Robin laughed, "Distraught, but without the 'dis'" the teen explained.

"Oh…" Wally trailed, but a small grin lit his face at the word.

"How are you feeling?" Aqualad asked Wally, and the speedster shrugged.

"I'm alright…It's just overwhelming." Wally explained, ignoring the looks of guilt the team exchanged.

"Well, I imagine it's pretty whelming." Robin inserted quietly, earning a look from Wally.

"Do you do that a lot?" Wally asked suddenly.

"What?" The Boy Wonder asked innocently.

"Slaughter the English language?" The speedster grinned.

"Once a week." Superboy stated with the smallest twitch of hid lip.

][][][][

"This is the souvenir room." Robin announced as Wally followed behind him. The two were alone in the shelved room. Artemis was had disappeared when Robin had offered to show Wally around, Kaldur had to write his report to turn into Black Canary, and Conner had excused himself with justification of working on his bike. However, Robin was sure the clone was just still uncomfortable with an amnesiac Wally and was just uncertain with how to deal with him. So, Robin had taken his friend to the room he would probably find the room most interesting, considering that the speedster had specifically turned it into the souvenir room.

Wally followed close behind the younger companion and allowed his eyes to grow big at the roomy shelves, all empty for future adventures and partially filled by missions he couldn't remember. The two walked up close to the only filled shelf and Wally stuck out his hand to palm an eyeball with electric wires hanging down from them.

"Whoa." Wally murmured, putting the eyeball back after a minute of silent staring.

"Yeah. That came from an android that was inside of an android that we fought."

It sounded unrealistic to Wally, but he kept his mouth shut. Running at the speed of sound was unrealistic to, and yet the Flash, _his uncle_, had done it thirty minutes ago.

Next Wally grabbed a red face mask off its designated perch and gave it a long hard look before putting it on and turning to Robin.

"How do I look?" he asked jokingly.

Robin chuckled before grabbing the mask off of Wally's face.

"You put it on!" Wally urged, laughing. He and the Boy Wonder had made instant friends, and it seemed natural for one to goad on the other.

"No, dude. This was worn by a Venom member. It probably has lice." Robin said in a mock serious voice.

Wally rolled his eyes, "It probably because you don't want to bend your sunglasses." Wally teased but then his face grew serious, "Why _do_ you wear sunglasses? I mean, we're in a cave, Robin. I think you're safe."

The ebony haired teen shifted uncomfortably. Wally had been acting more like the Kid Flash he knew, and that had shattered the short-lived illusion of memory. Wally couldn't remember Robin as Robin. Then Robin's eyes widened behind his glasses. But maybe he could remember Robin as Dick.

"You're right, dude." Robin said, punching his friend lightly on the arm, "But you can't tell."

"Tell what?" Wally asked confusedly. There was nothing to-Robin looked around the room analytically before he slid of his sunglasses.

"Dick?" Wally asked in a loud whisper before faltering and looking around bewildered, "Is everyone I know a hero?" he asked in a shocked tone. Dick Grayson was Wally West's best friend, even if they didn't go to the same school. Even though Wally wasn't rich, Barry had luckily scored some invitations to a Wayne Charity event…which was seeming less by-chance the more Wally thought of it.

"Shh!" Robin hissed, his bright blue eyes flashing before disappearing behind the reflective shades once more, "How many times do I have to tell you? _Secret_ identity!"

"You're Robin?" Wally asked, even though his lightning fast brain kept telling him this.

"Yeah, for a really long time." Robin affirmed.

Wally sat down, his back leaning against the shelf. Robin followed him, taking a seat about a foot away.

"Whoa. I thought I knew my life pretty well. But that was a long time ago." Wally muttured.

"You mean this morning?" Rob asked.

"Yeah."

There was a moment of silence before both teens laughed from the pressure of the awkwardness, and they continued laughing though it was nonsensical. Wally threw his head back hard against the shelf while he did so, causing the large wooden shelves to rock temporarily. The swaying motion cause the souvenirs to all tremble in their positions, but all stayed on. All except the arrow, that tumbled harmlessly to the ground in front of the boys who were still shaking silently from muted giggles. The arrow smacked the ground with a few small clicking sounds and drew Wally's attention away from the laughter. Swallowing the last few mouthfuls of laughter, he leaned in forward and picked up the feather-light object in his hand.

"Hey, Dic-Rob? Can I call you Rob?" He asked, shaking the younger teen next to him.

"You have been, dude." Robin snorted, trying to hush his chuckles.

"Okay, Rob," Wally decided and lifted the arrow up, "What mission is this from?"

Robin defeated his chortles and eyed the arrow carefully, thinking back to their third mission that was filled with an angry Conner, unbeatable robots, and slippery scientists, and almost-squished Kid Flash's.

"Uh, an android that could recreate the abilities of any superhero was about to crush you to death Superman style."

Wally paled a little at the thought, his ashen face contrasting greatly with his fiery red hair.

"Oh…okay. And the arrow has to do with this because?" Wally asked, poking his finger against the tip of the sleek metal.

"Well, it saved you. The robot phased to avoid being hit by the arrow, so he couldn't hold onto you." Robin said.

Wally whistled deeply, "That must have been a pretty close shot. Who shot it? Green Arrow?"

Robin shook his head, "You never guess right! First it was Speed-err, Red Arrow's and now Green Arrow? One more try, dude. Who's arrow?"

Wally cracked a smile, "I don't know…Stoplight?" poking fun at the two hero's names.

Robin shot his friend a look and Wally chuckled, sounding just like KF even though he had no memories of ever being the hero.

"Okay, the Artemis girl?"

Robin nodded, "Looks like me and Batman have a new competitor for World's Greatest Detective." He joked, elbowing Wally.

"Haha, _Dick." _Wally muttered sarcastically before returning his attention to the arrow, "Did I tell her 'Thanks'?" Wally asked.

Robin looked at his friend with curiosity, "No. Why?"

"Well, she saved my life. That's a pretty good reason." Wally said casually.

Robin aimed another look at the speedster and cracked a smile.

"What?" Wally asked.

"Nothing, dude. If you want to, she's in the training room." Robin said.

"Thanks!" Wally said, forcing himself up and nestling the arrow back into place. He began to exit the room when he halted.

"Um…where's the training room?"

][][][][

Artemis realigned her shot-having missed the marker by just a tenth of dead center. She could do better. She took a deep breath and squinted one eye in concentration, staring straight down to the tip of the arrow. All she had to do was release, and the arrow would zip down straight into the target, no mistakes. One last deep intake of breath and-

"Hey, beautiful!" Wally said, peeking his head into the room before blushing about how straight forward he'd been, "Um, I mean Artemis." He added.

Artemis's bow shifted upwards with surprise, and her arrow sailed to the edge of the target, barely even hitting the face of the unmoved board. She turned instantly, coming out of her crouch fluidly with her gray eyes blazing. When she faced Wally, she calmed herself down by reminding herself that he couldn't remember being Kid Flash-which meant he wouldn't remember her or the certain lines that had been drawn. Right now, she told herself, he was just Wally, a fifteen year old. A fifteen year old that's stomach roared and who ran very, _very_ fast.

Ignoring the fact that her last arrow had disappeared into the target, she eased her tense muscles and forced her voice to come out somewhat friendly while she also avoided the feelings of guilt from her original disbelief.

"Uh, hey." Artemis greeted, shifting her quiver further behind her back. Wait, had he just called her beautiful? Again? What was it with this kid and memory loss?

Wally shifted his weight uncomfortably and then stepped further into the room.

"Umm, me and Rob were looking in the souvenir room, and I found this." Wally explained, and then held out the arrow.

"Oh." Artemis mumbled. She remembered that night. Seeing Wally almost flattened. Forget memory loss, this guy just had a problem for getting into trouble.  
>"Yeah. So I figured that might have just saved my life and everything, from the way Robin told it." Wally explained, "And then he said I'd never thanked you. So…thanks."<p>

Artemis sent the redhead a smile.

"You're welcome." She said.

Wally flitted his gaze over to the target.

"Sorry I messed up your shot." Wally apologized, gesturing over to the target with the arrow he still had clutched in his hand.

Artemis nodded a small nod before her eyes flashed.

Quick as Wally himself, her hand lashed out and grabbed the arrow with her hand.

"Apology accepted." She said, and set up the shot. Wally watched in amazement as the arrow shot through the air and slammed in the direct middle of the target.

"Nice shot."

Artemis turned and to faced him. And snorted. That took Wally by surprise, because not only had she _snorted_ but she had snorted at a compliment.

"What?" Wally asked defensively.

"That's the first time you've complimented me." She laughed.

Wally felt a stab of guilt.

"Why?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"You're mad because I 'drove ' Red Arrow off the team he was never on." Artemis said.

Wally suddenly found his shoes very interesting before facing upwards and scratching his neck.

"I'm kind of a jerk to you, aren't I?" he asked, which felt strange because he hardly knew this blonde stranger, even if he had only the day before.

The girl shrugged, "Yeah, but to be fair, Kid Mouth, I'm not the best to you either."

Silence filled the empty room.

"And you're okay with that?" he said finally.

"Okay with what?"

"Something this stupid affecting both of us like that? I mean, I don't remember it really, so maybe it's a bigger deal than it sounds like-but it seems pretty stupid to me."

Artemis looked off to the side. Wally feared he had done something wrong, but a few moments later, he felt someone cuff his shoulder.

"You're right. It's pretty stupid." Artemis agreed, "But you have to promise one thing before we forgive each other completely, agreed?"

Wally shrugged, "Sure, what?"

"When you get your memories back, don't go back to being an idiot."

Wally blinked at her.

"Okay, Queen of Bluntness, I promise."

Wally smiled a little to himself and turned to leave.

As soon he stepped out of the training room and the door slid behind him, he breathed in a deep breath of air. And the hall was filled with a pixie laugh that has already become familiar.

"Hey, Rob." Wally said to the hallway, and Dick hit the floor with light feet.

"Megan will be so disappointed." Robin said with mock disgrace.

"Who?" Wally asked.

"Another girl on our team." Robin supplied.

Just then Wally's stomach growled, and Robin pointed down a random hallway.

"Kitchen's that way." He supplied and Wally shot him a look of thanks and the two headed down the hall.

[][][][]

Author's Mailbag:

TO ALL: Thanks for waiting and I hoped you all liked it! This was 3,000 words, just a few over. That officially makes this the longest thing I've ever written. I feel so accomplished! I would like to thank the amazing reviewers who are supporting me!

Scarlet Mist: I read your review and felt instant sympathy-the hate is still there! LOL And whoo! You understood speed talk! The only thing that bummed me about it is that FF has this thing where it won't post words stuck together very well…grrr! Thanks, though!

JanelleL: That would be boring! And I'm still debating Wally!Abuse…I think I'll save it for another FF, but I _may *wink* _have Wally visit his Aunt and Uncle! You have questions? I love it! That's a sign of a good story! And also, thanks! I love responding to my repliers, I appreciate them so much! Especially one's from you and the others who have responded since the beginning!

Litra: HMM…I can't remember where that TNT got to…Darn it! And you're welcome!

KaliAnn: I love how nice you are! Every story I have ever written, and you reply to it! :D Thank you, just so much!

GhostDog401: The story's not ending, LOL! But I'm glad you're so excited over it! And yeah…This whole thing sucks for Wally. However, I will continue to exploit it!

Amazon28: Yay! You! I love your reviews! Also, that _is_ amazing timing! I would have died laughing RIGHT. THERE. LOL! ROFL!

xxHeadInTheStarsxx: LOL, we all would be! And thanks for the very nice compliment! I'm glad you like the pace of it! And I WENT ABSOLUTE FANGIRL too! Wally is so amazing when he gets his nerd on…but his acting is less than stellar. OH well, it's adorable!

Sincerely Seven: Speedtalking is something I really really like! And I love your smiley! -^-^- And yeah, don't you hate A/Ns like that?

Irenerb: ^-^ Thanks!

KF-AxxMexx: Hmm, really? Two days is a very long time for a speedster…especially when that speedster is Wally.

Rowanfall: No, I'm sorry! But I'm glad you liked Gibberush! I thought that'd be a good name for speed talking! By the by…*sobs*

Animecuti610: LOL, thanks! But I really hope you didn't die…that wasn't at all my intention… X)

Bat-dove: L-O-V-E your review! LOVE IT! Thanks!

Adoglover5: I wish I could see that! Sorry, but it's true! AND I LOLD at your cooment *cough*Robin*cough*!

Gray Areas: I just figured. And thanks *grins* Still working on my PMs! Please don't take offence to the wait! I feel so bad!

Eosophobia-3: Awesome word choice! Thanks!

Safirel: Thanks! I'm glad you liked the Halloween catalog part! Thank you so much!


	7. Relations

Chapter Seven: Relations

Kaldur walked into the kitchen area to find Wally cramming the remains of an orange into his mouth while Robin and the speedster talked, occasionally laughing and exchanging weak punches or elbowing the other gently in the side. He realized that this could have been any day, any regular time. But the illusion was tainted when you listened in on the conversation and realized that Robin was not talking about new words, or retelling a previous adventure with the Dark Knight- but instead the Boy Wonder was describing past assignments filled with multiple details and his own comments added in. Wally was not talking of girls or asking when another mission was, but nodding and laughing and looking shocked as each story progressed and waiting for the next one to start. The redhead was leaning casually against the counter tops of the kitchenette and letting orange peels accumulate around him while Robin sat in a chair on the other side. Kaldur once again felt the stinging wrath of his own guilt burn his insides with the final thing that ruined the misapprehension-Wally's blank eyes when they fell on the Atlantian.

"Uh, hey…Aqualad!" Wally said, trying very hard at not staring at the gills and webbed hands, but only partially succeeding, his voice rising with elation when he remembered the darker teen's name from the news report.

"Please, when I am not in costume you may call me Kaldur. I see you are feeling better." The Atlantian said after a long pause. After saying so, he glanced at a chair beside Robin and adjacent from Wally and made his way over to it. He grabbed the metal framework of the chair, inwardly grimacing at the awkward screeches that erupted from it when he moved it over the floor. Kaldur sat down as soon as there was barely enough space to contain his muscular frame, his chest smashed up against the corner of the counter. One set of expressive green eyes and one pair of reflective sunglasses watched him for a minute before Robin hurriedly wrapped up the last telling of the Doctor Fate mission.

Wally rolled his eyes skeptically and Robin only sighed before turning to Kaldur.

"So, how did the report go? Did Black Canary take it well?"

Kaldur shifted in his seat, flashing his eyes to the side, "She was less than pleased with our current situation. But she is confident in the Martian Manhunter's abilities…even if she isn't in our own." He explained and Robin nodded. Something told him their current hiatus of missions was far from over.

"Ouch." Robin muttered before catching Wally's expression that clearly indicated the teen was completely lost, "Black Canary is our combat specialist and trainer." The Boy Wonder slipped in.

Wally nodded but still obviously had no idea what his younger companion was implying.

"So, Kid Flash," Kaldur started after a long span of nothingness.

When no recognition flashed in the redhead's eyes and he didn't respond, Kaldur was reminded once again of his friend's amnesia. Bitter disappointment coursed through him like the currents of the mightiest waters, surging throughout his body like a crushing tidal wave.

"Wally," The Atlantian tried, and the freckled speedster's head shot up with an embarrassed look tarnishing his face.

"Oh, right. Kid Flash…Sorry…It's just, I kind of forgot that was me…" Wally coughed out, wiping away a faint trace of sweetly sour juice left over from the orange he had just finished.

"It's not your fault." Kaldur assured, thinking quietly to only himself that the fault was his own to bear, "Did Robin show you around the Mountain? Did it…remind you of anything?" The Atlantian asked, tacking the last question in hopefully. Anything…even a single memory would appease him.

"Well, the sliding doors were kind of "Star Trek"…" Wally said shrugging, "But, no. I don't remember any of this, if that's what you're asking." He added, sweeping his arm around the room.

Kaldur nodded and added a small smile, remembering the rules of a leader-often, however the leader viewed a situation and acted on it effected the way the others would view and act on it. This meant that Kaldur could not hide away in his overbearing guilt and blank expressions, because then others might do the same. When you were a leader, your own feelings became less important while your actions on them increased exponentially. It was a difficult balance to maintain, but Aqualad had accepted this. He had claimed it the moment he had agreed to the position. The duty, the guilt, and responsibility were his. Even this, this unpredictable situation, was his burden to lift. But unfortunately, this was a weight that only Wally could bare fully…until Miss Martian came back. But he would try anyway.

"That was what I was asking." The Atlantian admitted, watching Wally pick at an orange peel absent mindedly, "How are you handling things?"

Wally looked up and then tossed the garbage into the nearby trash can skillfully before answering, "Handling the whole, "I'm a superhero, along with Uncle Barry and my best fr-" Wally started before Robin shot him a look that instantly reminded the redhead of the 'secret' aspect, "Friend?"

Kaldur looked puzzled, "Friend?"

"Yeah…" Wally trailed, and then his face lit up, "Uncle Barry! Uncle Barry is my best friend, so he's my uncle and my best friend, not that I don't have other friends, Uncle Barry-I mean Flash, is just my best one." Wally said, finishing it up with a smile, a big wide one that showed every pearly white tooth.

Robin groaned inwardly, noting what a horrible actor his friend was.

"So, anyway, when is Megan coming back?" Robin asked while turning towards Kaldur who was staring at Wally with a puzzled expression.

"The last time Batman contacted me, he told me two days." Kaldur told the youngest member, deciding to drop the friend issue and turned back to Wally, "So, you are handling things well?"

"Yeah…It's just weird being hungry all the time. It's like I'm full for maybe ten minutes, and then poof! I'm hungry again. And…you guys talk slow. But aside from that, it's even stranger, because…well, I'm a hero, I guess. Before I went to bed last night, I was just Wally, you know? And now, I'm Kid Flash. I have been for a while, I guess. Not just that, but the Flash is my uncle. How weird, you know?" Wally tried to explain, and the other two males nodded. They didn't fully understand- how could they? But for just a moment, they saw were seeing the kind of thing that Wally dealt with everyday. Constant hunger was always in him, and people talked slowly, _everything_ happened slowly.

Just then Robin smiled deviously, and said plainly "I want to try something."

Ten minutes later, the three teens were seated on the cushy couch in front of the television. Robin had the DVD player's remote held nonchalantly in his hand, Wally beside him but staring at the TV screen with curiosity, and Kaldur was watching the two with interest. The timing was highly inappropriate, of course, but he had to admit that he too was curious, even if it was only a mild feeling.

Robin pressed the 'play' button, and a movie flashed up on the screen, "Limitless" begging to take over the coloration of the millions of pixels.

Wally frowned; he could hardly listen to Robin and Kaldur talk, so the thought of _sitting _and _listening_ to a movie where people _talked_ was unbearable. However he kept his mouth shut. That's when Robin's smile returned and he hit "Fast Forward" on the remote, being sure the audio was on. He hit the fast forward eight times, all the way to the limit, and then turned to Wally.

"Can you understand this?" the Boy Wonder asked, seeing a pair of bright green eyes flickering to the screen with interest, replacing the more or less concealed dread. The movie was complete gibberish to him and Kaldur, a massive avalanche of movement and noise, but to Wally, this may be normally paced.

Wally turned to the ebony haired kid held up his hand for a high five exclaiming, "You are a total genius!"

Robin smacked the offered hand happily, "So it's working?"

Wally nodded, "It's a little slow, but only a little! It's…almost like talking with Barry, or you know, listening to him."

Robin nodded with satisfaction. Twenty three minutes later the movie was over and Wally was pointing out all the scientific flaws that could be seen throughout the film, but saying he enjoyed it none the less.

"That was a good idea," Kaldur said to Robin, and Wally nodded happily.

"Thanks…I've actually wanted to do it for a while, I just thought about it when Wally was telling us how slow we talk. We can't speed up how fast we speak, but you can a movie." The black haired teen explained.

"Thanks!" the freckled teenager said, whacking his hand against his friend's back.

Kaldur showed of a small, unreadable smile, once again struck by how normal Wally was acting, and yet how he could look at everyone like they were unfamiliar, save Robin. But the two had been working with each other for quite a while and the Atlantian assumed that some part of Wally still knew Robin, and maybe he even knew the other's, deeper down.

Wally felt at home and yet misplaced at the same time. It was a strange, almost uncomfortable position. It was best described the way Dick, um Robin, had said, "whelming". Defiantly not "underwhelming", but not so "overwhelming" anymore.

"So, have you acquainted yourself with everyone again?" Kaldur asked after noticing the silence that had washed over them.

"Yeah, you, Robin, and Artemis. There was one I saw in the hospital room though. Um, Superboy I think. But he probably lives with Superman, so I just thought he was at home." Wally shrugged.

"He _is_ home." Said a voice from nowhere, and a door from the kitchen opened with a barely audible hiss.

Wally turned in surprise to see the powerfully built teen walk up the trash and discard an oily rag that was nearly shredded to pieces.

"You live here?" Wally asked, taken aback, "Why?" he wondered, eying the blue eyed teen with curiosity. It was rather astonishing to see how closely his cobalt blue eyes matched Dick's, but they were somehow different, shadowed with an entirely different personality.

"Because I do." Conner growled, clearly frustrated. It had been a long few hours in the garage-long and frustrating. He had been trying hard to fix the motor of the cycle. It was really broken this time, too. Not an excuse for some Martian kissing. In short, an amnesiac Wally asking a lot of questions was not something Conner was in the mood for, especially when the Man of Steel was involved. But beyond even all that, and he couldn't quite explain it, but…Wally was a friend. He was someone who always knew what to say, even if he shouldn't. Not that that made any sense, it just was. So to see the speedster so lost and quiet-for Wally, anyway-was unnerving.

"Huh." Wally said, fighting over two urges-one to be intimidated by the older teen's bulk, and the other to try an befriend him. One instinctual and one almost…natural. Wally reminded himself that according to Uncle Barry, they had all been-were-a team. That thought crossing his mind he relaxed.

"So, what were you doing?" Wally asked curiously. Robin and Kaldur exchanged looks, but neither interrupted the two.

Superboy turned away from the garbage and swiped at his equally greasy hands, "Fixing a motorcycle." He grunted.

"Cool. What was wrong with it?" the teen asked.

"It's _still_ not starting right." Conner said, the back of his throat rumbling. He felt a small but fleeting flash of guilt as Wally shrunk back slightly in his chair at the ferocity in his words, but he was frustrated and Suberboy decided against an apology.

There was silence for a span of a few minutes while Conner made his way over to the coach. He had almost headed completely out of the room when he heard Wally mumble, "I can fix it."

][][][][

The garage was mostly empty, only one red cycle parked lop-sided near the middle of the room. Tools were sprawled out all over the floor, accompanied by messy and lonely rags that were half-heartedly tossed in various directions. Oil was untidily spilled near the motorized bike, and grease was sloppily staining the few splotches of ground the oil hadn't defiled. The room smelled chemically, not sickeningly sweet like the aroma of a hospital room, but rank, the foul smell of dark but powerful oil. However, smells and tools were not the only things that filled the room-an occasional "Hmm" or "Oh" would echo and bounce around before settling back down again.

It was only Superboy and Wally aside from that. Robin had been unwilling to go, but as night was setting in, the duties of Gotham called louder than a mostly settled in Wally. Bats after all, did rise with the night. Kaldur had also managed to slip away with a good-bye, disappearing into the massive hallways of the Mount. That left only the two teens who were currently bent over a bike.

"You said you could fix it." Conner reminded the redhead, who waved him irritably. Conner was standing straight, peering down at the speedster who was currently supporting himself with his knees while he ducked over a motor. Just as Conner spoke, a gurgling noise erupted from the device, and it seemed to heave before splattering Wally's face with a spray of small black drops of goo.

The speedster made a disgusted space and tried to wipe the gunk from his face. However, he only succeeded in creating a diverse orchestra of smears that decorated his freckled features.

"I know, I know." Wally mumbled, and Conner smirked at the sight, "But to be fair, this isn't a normal bike. But…it's kinda familiar and I think I've figured it out. It should work if…" The redhead muttered, leaning back over the motor and grabbing a single wire out of a bundle, "I take this and reattach it to this…" he murmured, and he moved away some complex looking parts that Conner hadn't been entirely sure about, "And then do this…" his hands reached out and delicately began reattaching wires here and there, almost incomprehensibly deciding randomly that one wire didn't belong where it had been originally and tearing it out of its socket.

"And…there." Wally concluded. Conner peered over the motor while Wally gestured to it proudly. It looked like a mess, a massive wad of wires.

"You said fix." Superboy growled, "Not dismantle."

Wally crossed his arms indignantly huffing. "You could try it."

Conner shrugged and grabbed the keys of the bike. He gave them a quick turn and then listened to the nothingness purr loudly.

"Try it again." Wally suggested.

Conner growled, but turned the key once more.

This time, a mighty roar escaped and a healthy rumble rampaged out of the motor.

"Told you!" Wally exclaimed, proud of himself while also relived it had worked.

"Good job." Conner stated, listening deeply to where he could hear every part turn mechanically inside the bike. That's why he liked machines. Every part, every cog, every screw, no matter how small, big, or different, had a place. Everything belonged. He unintentionally sighed almost sadly.

"What, is it not working right?" Wally asked at the noise, suddenly afraid he had messed up.

"What?" Conner asked and then realized his outward sigh had been noticed and mistaken, "Oh, no. It's working fine."

"Then what's up?" Wally asked standing up and stretching out his sleeping legs.

"Nothing."

"I fixed the bike." Wally said flatly.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Conner asked, not understanding the coralation. The fact that the motorcycle was fixed had been established.

"You owe me. What's up?" Wally said, and he wiped his stained hands onto his already stained paints.

"I said nothing." Conner replied, "Thanks for fixing the bike."

"No problem. Hey, what's it like?" Wally questioned, wonder playing in his eyes.

"What?"

"Having Superman as a dad?"

"He's not." Conner growled.

"But you too…is he your Uncle or something?"

"No" Conner ground out.

"Then-"

"I'm a clone. Superman doesn't have a son. He doesn't want one." Superboy said finally, shrugging the last line off.

Wally's eyes grew big at the revelation and shifted down at his suddenly incredibly interesting shoes. He waited a while before adding, "I know how you feel."

"You can't." Superboy said simply.

Wally looked up nodding, "Yeah…my dad didn't want me either." He didn't know why he was sharing that with the older teen, he was essentially a stranger. But for some reason, he felt like he should. Probably how Dick felt about at least someone knowing who hid behind his array of masks.

Super glanced at the redhead in surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"He just…made it clear is all." Wally shrugged.

"He flew away from you?" Superboy asked, thinking back to the awkward day on the bridge. No, Superman was definitely not busy.

"No, I did that to him, I guess. I live with Uncle Barry now." Wally said.

"Why?"

"My dad was mean." Wally said simply, but in a way that suggested he didn't want to talk about it.

"I guess we both have that in common." Conner remarked.

You could hear the individual ticks in the clock for the longest seconds before Wally clapped his hands loudly.

"So! How about giving that thing a test run?"

Conner was about to answer when a blur of red broke unexpectedly into the room.

"C'mon Wally! We're going to Central City tonight!" Barry exclaimed once his image settled completely.

][][][][

Author's Mailbag:

TO ALL: Grr, sorry I updated so late. I've been super busy. Curse you, advanced classes. That's right, Mathematics-I'm talking to you. To make up for it, another 3,000 word entry! Hope you liked it, my amazing readers! I just looked at my story stats, and I'M FLATTERED. 24 favorites, and 52 alerts! Oh my gosh, I love you guys!

Ghostdog401: In the show and some of the comics it's been hinted at that Dick revealed his identity to Wally. I also added in an earlier chapter (3 or 4) that Dick and Wally had been hanging out as civilians. So with how Wally's amnesia works, he'd remember Dick, but not Robin. So when Robin removed his mask to show he Dick, Wally remembered who he was. Just not the Boy Wonder bits. I hope that helps! And thank you!

Scarlet Mist: There will probably be some more Spitfire… And you're right…the hate never leaves.

KaliAnn: Weird but true! Once again you have looked at my writing philosophically and made it sound very deep and thought through.^-^

xxHeadInTheStarsxx: *Blushes* Aww! Thank you! I intend to have a TON of friendship in here…but a warning, and bit of a spoiler. Angst, if at least minimally, waits. Possibly in the next few chapters?

KF-Axx-Mexx: Hehe! Oh what fun… XD

JenelleL: Did you enjoy the hints of Wally!Abuse? Now, It wasn't the most in depth and I don't know if I'll go deeper into it. But I really enjoyed you're comment from last time! Thank you so much! Hmm…Roy would be fun! XD BUT OH NO! You're brain busted, and I LOVE YOUR COMMENTS! :O RECOVER! RECOVER!

Irenerb: *gasps and then hugs* THANKS! THANK YOU!

A Random Reader: One of the best pairings, in my opinion. And I will in later chaps!

Angelrider: LOL, thank you! Personally, I love how Robin screws with the language. And thanks! KFxR friendship is awesomely fun to write!

Rowanfall: Loved you're poetry! But sadly, not yet! I'm sure you'll do it oneday! If it helps, I answer in order of who reviewed first! That means you were number nine! SO CLOSE! And thanks! Wally's almost as to write for as Artemis.

Imsuchanut: I'm so glad!

Bat-dove: I know right! *evil smile*

Princess Pea: Good to see you again! Glad you enjoyed the cowl moment!

Black Licorice Addict: I'm glad your back & caught up! Thanks, when I wrote the ArtemisxWally scene I was worried it'd seem forced! Glad it seemed right!

Adoglover5: Thanks! KF and Robin are fun to write together! Okay, I will!

Carry99: Thank you!


	8. Mother Hens

Chapter 8: Mother Hens

Batman hadn't wanted Wally to be taken back to Central City for numerous reasons. Despite any progress he may have made concerning relations with his teammates, the fact still remained Wally was an amnesiac fifteen-year old who had the powers of the Flash. Potentially, anything could happen. He could let his secret identity slip, something that was highly likely given the redhead's horrible grip on self-control. He could overuse his abilities, in which case he would be far away from any medical equipment. And though Batman would be the first to tell you that the villains that made themselves at home in Gotham were far more deadly than the Rouges that lived in Central, the Rouges were still a potential threat and attacked far more often -though planning was usually less thought through as a result. But this was just as dangerous as a villain with preparation because they were ready to attempt anything to make sure they got their cash and got away. The point was anything could go wrong. There were a multitude of very plausible things that could go wrong. All of those things could be could be securely avoided by keeping the teenager confined in the Mountain. In Mount Justice, Wally would be fine until Miss Martian and Martian Manhunter could restore his memories-given, he would be stir-crazy, but he would be fine.

Barry, however, had had different plans. Iris would wring his neck if she found out Wally had had amnesia and Barry hadn't taken him home. Iris was _very _protective of Wally, as she had been since Wally came to live with them. To Iris, every cut or scrape was a gaping wound, every cough was some fatal disease, and when Wally was actually sick, it was practically a national emergency and every doctor in Central City could count on receiving at least one phone call. Not that Barry could blame her; he felt the same exact way for the younger speedster. All that being taken into consideration, Barry had explained to the Bat that it would be better for Wally to come home with him. Which mostly consisted of saying Barry was the only one Wally knew and so it would make sense for him to by his uncle's side. When Batman had countered with the secret identity, Flash had promised to keep Wally out of school. The Batman had proposed the rest of his ideas. Barry had pacified him by promising to bring Wally back the next day when he got home from work, and also prohibiting Wally from using his speed. Barry then pointed out that he obviously wouldn't be taking Wally out for patrol. Batman still hadn't been appeased, but had begrudgingly allowed Flash to take Wally to Central City. As soon as Batman had given his disagreeable okay, Barry had taken off to fetch Wally before taking his leave to Central.

Currently, Barry was comfortably leaning his arm outside the window of his faded red car, ignoring the sweat that was accumulating on the hot leather seats. Wally was sitting shot gun, somewhat comforted by the familiarity of the vehicle. It was Barry Allen's civilian mode of transportation-the only one that Wally could remember. Even the puttering of the engine that had once caused Wally to be wary of the old car's mechanical integrity was welcome. However, he couldn't ever remember riding in a car at seventy five miles an hour and thinking how unhurried it was. The trees seemed to slip by agonizingly slow, each scene slipping away with painfully sluggish movements before dawdling on to the next one. It was torture. It felt like they weren't moving, and yet when he leaned his head out the window, he felt the wind rush around him, begging him to move faster. It was pleading to him; awful cries of longing pierced him, screaming for him to run.

"Wally! Stop, buddy!" Barry shouted, knocking Wally's train of thought of its circular track. He blinked around and then frowned.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"You can't vibrate like that in here. You'll tear right through the seats. And, besides, Batman has you on strict orders to not use your speed." Barry explained almost apologetically. He took his eyes off the road for a moment to shoot his nephew a look of regret.

"Oh, I didn't mean to, Uncle Barry." Wally said, pulling his head back into the car where the only wind was the air conditioner that was constantly stuck on the heat setting-which kind of stunk considering it was still hot and humid this time of year.

"I know. It's hard to adjust." Barry said shrugging. His first year as a speedster was a living horror film, and he's been an adult. Wally was just a kid, and he'd have to experience it twice.

"Hey, Uncle Barry?" Wally asked, tipping his head softly to the side.

"What's up, kiddo?" Barry answered, his lip twitching.

"Well, when we were with everybody, I kept hearing a lot about a M'gann," Wally began, taking painstaking care to say the name correctly, "One that could fix my memories of this 'super-hero' stuff. What is a M'gann?"

"First off, it's a 'who', a 'she' to be specific." Barry said with a smile on his lips, "And she'll probably _help_, but I'm assuming J'honn will probably be the one to tackle it."

"Howisitawho?" Wally asked in shock, his voice speeding up with his emotions.

"No speed for right now, okay?" Barry reminded gently, "And they're both telepaths." His uncle explained.

"Thatisimpossible" Wally muttered, shooting his uncle an apologetic glance, "Oops, but seriously? Telepaths? How? With their magic wands?" Wally joked.

"Nope, but they have something up their sleeve." Barry laughed.

"What, the bunny in their hat won't tell you how?"

"Not if I don't bribe him with a carrot. And even then he's pretty cryptic." Barry chuckled, "But I'm completely serious, Wally. They are telepaths and they are going to fix your memories." He promised, "In fact they will be here tomorrow night, most likely."

"I'll believe it when I see it." Wally muttered. He felt a strike of fear that he would never remember this over-fantastic life that he had only lived yesterday.

"Just remember, Wally," Barry said at Wally's disbelieving tone, "We both can run faster than the speed of sound. There are things that just can't be understood."

"You know what I don't understand?" Wally asked brightly, flashing his eyes over at his uncle.

"What?"

"Why the Flash needs a car."

][][][][

The old car roared to a stop, the engine seeming to cheer before Barry turned it off, which rekindled Wally's dying suspicions of the vehicle. Wally unbuckled the seatbelt as fast as he could at a normal speed and escaped the car his uncle lovingly named "the Deathtrap". His foot hit the pavement of the driveway, and he was hit with the normalness of it. A suburban neighborhood, row after row of uniform houses, chirping birds, and mail boxes with a red flag wither up or down. No warehouse with horrible lighting, no rocky walls of hidden caves, no super-powered teens, just houses with white trim and siding and the occasional kid on a bike. It was disorientating, but familiar to his only memories. It felt like home.

"Come on Wally," Uncle Barry said, looking down at his watch, "We were supposed to be home roughly ten hours ago."

"And you're telling me to _hurry_ into that house with a waiting Aunt Iris?" Wally cracked, but he really wasn't looking forward to being chewed out by his Aunt over something he honestly couldn't explain.

"Wait!" Wally said, tugging at Barry's sleeve right as his uncle pressed the doorbell, "Does Aunt Iris know?"

Just as the question leapt from his lips, Aunt Iris flung the door open before both of her hands found firm resting places on her pencil skirt.

"Barry Allen and Wallace Rudolph West!" she cried, "How is it possible for the two fastest men alive to _always be late_?"

Smiling, Barry nodded, "Oh, like I could keep something like that from her." He commented before leaning and grabbing the women by the waist and drawing her into him with a big kiss.

Wally rolled his eyes and waited while Iris smiled lightly, but leaned away.

"If you're going to be late, call. I understand that there's a world to save, but it just worries me. Especially now that Wally's out there." She explained. She wasn't angry, just worried.

"Speaking of whom," the red haired women said, turning away from Barry and smiling at her nephew, "How are you? Are you going to tell you what kept you so long?" she asked, facing both of them.

Barry nodded, "Sure, honey, but it's hot out here and something inside smells really good." Barry commented. Iris nodded knowingly. Nothing was cooking; Barry just couldn't explain himself out in the open even though no one was around. You never knew who was listening.

"Come on inside, it's your favorite." She said happily, opening the door wider and then stepping out of the way.

"I don't smell anything." Wally said, the thought of food reminding his stomach of its discontent as the door shut behind him.

Once everyone was inside, Iris turned a worried eye on Wally. They'd been using that excuse for years.

"Wally, we've been using that code since you were twelve." Iris remarked, "But if you're really hungry, I have cookies waiting on the counter from yesterday. When you were supposed to be home." She said pointedly, turning her eyes on Barry who smiled weakly.

"Well, I can explain." Barry promised.

"HeyAuntIris!" Wally exclaimed suddenly in pure joy, "Bestcookies!"

Iris shot Wally a look, frowning and having no clue what the freckled teen had said.

"Wally, I can't understand a word you just said. You know I can't speed-talk."

"Gibbe_rush_" Barry said, stifling a chuckle before his face got serious, "Now Iris, I want you to listen to me very carefully okay?"

Iris looked skeptic and shot Wally a look before nodding to Barry.

"First, look at Wally. See, he's perfectly healthy!"

That's when Iris grew uncomfortable.

"What's wrong with Wally?" she asked suddenly, flitting her eyes over to Wally who was shoving the last bits of cookie in his mouth.

"He's fine! He's is completely fine!" Barry assured, and Iris relaxed a little before Barry added quietly, "For the most part."

Iris frowned deeply with worry and walked over to Wally.

"What's wrong?" she asked, scanning her nephew for any signs of harm. She couldn't find any, but that didn't mean anything.

"Iris! You said you would listen to me!" Barry exhaled, and Iris pulled away from the redhead to face Barry.

"Fine, but don't taunt me with it!" she pleaded.

Barry apologized before gesturing towards Wally, "He has amnesia." Barry explained.

Iris paled, interrupting him, "Oh, no!" she gasped out, grabbing Wall by his arm and dragging him over to her before enveloping him in her arms, "He can't remember you? Or me?" she exclaimed worriedly.

"I remember you Aunt Iris!" Wally assured, fighting his aunt's arms as they began to cut off his air, "Seriously, I can't breathe!" the teen gasped, and the fiery haired woman released him.

"I meant partial amnesia. He can't remember his life as Kid Flash, but he does his life as Wally." Barry explained.

"Oh." Iris said, "But that's still horrible!" she murmured, "Better, but still terrible." She decided.

Barry nodded, "But tomorrow night, J'honn's coming over and he'll re-establish all of Wally's memories. He's just spending the night here."

Iris was torn between feeling relieved or still clinging to her worry, but after a moment she calmed down.  
>"Good. I'm glad you didn't have him spend the night in that big mountain alone with 'strangers'" she approved, pecking Barry on the cheek.<p>

Wally smiled and licked the stray crumbs from off his lips. Aunt Iris was such the mother hen.

"So, how was your day, Aunt Iris?" Wally asked.

"Not nearly as exciting without the Flash, his partner, and the Rouges." Iris laughed, "It was a very slow news day."

"Well then, we'll tell you about our day." Barry said, just as his own stomach growled and he added sheepishly, "Over a sandwich, of course."

The meal passed quickly, not because of how fast the two speedsters downed the food but more because of how interested Iris was. Throughout Wally's retelling, she would laugh or look worriedly at Barry. By the end, she was finally as comfortable with the amnesia as she would ever be, and she sighed.

"Well, I can see why you were late." She said finally, but she stood up and faced Wally, "But I won't let you be late again. It's getting late-nearly eleven o' clock!" Iris gasped in horror as she realized the time.

"So?" Wally asked, even though he knew exactly where the woman was headed with this.

"It is high time you got in bed!"

And so with heavy feet, Wally dragged himself upstairs.

When he entered his room, it felt so different from how he remembered it as being. The last time he had entered the room, he had been Wally West. Now, he was Kid Flash. As he had apparently been for a long time. He threw on some pajamas and flicked off the light before he shuffled through the untidy room and found his way to the bed. As he crawled in, he momentarily considered the possibility that when he woke up, he would be plain old Wally West once again.

][][][][

Author's Mailbag:

TO ALL: It's a proud day for me when I reach the hundred reviews mark! So, I would like to use this space to thank each of you from the bottom my heart! Thanks, really! Especially those of you who replied since the very beginning! Thanks, to each and every person who was kind enough to review!

Adoglover5: I put you on my favorites list! I love every story you have written! Every single one! Gosh, I totally Fangirl over The Speedsters, and I have read every chapter of In The Grave! EEEE! And please oh please tell me you'll take up Breaking Speed again! YOU ARE MY FAVE WALLY ANGST WRITER! Sorry, fangirl moment. Totally, I apologize! OH MY GOSH AND YOU LIKE MY STORY! Okay, now I'm done. Promise. For now, anyway. Glad I could make you smile! Hope you liked Iris's over-protectiveness!

Irenerb: *blushes* Thanks! But next chapter's probably going to get a little hairy…

GhostDog401: Yay! Glad the love remains! :D

Kaliann: I'm so glad you enjoyed the movie part! And, thanks! Supey and Wally bonding was just plain fun to write!

Angelrider13: KFxSupey bonding=instant fluff. I actually like how it turned out, which is nice because I'm always worried with how to write Conner!

Rowanfall: Number six this time! That's really close! Besides, I love your reviews and I don't really care what order they come in! I love that you review at all! And, you're so right! All the wonderful, wonderful possibilities! *smiles evilly*

JanelleL: Woot! Another fan of the movie on fast-forward! Thanks! And I'm glad you liked the brotherly bonding! ^-^ *sees brain is unplugged* Oh, here, I'll help! *bends down and plugs cord back in and smiles widely* LOL

xxHeadInTheStarsxx: Actually, I'm not sure if It's true in the comics, I've just seen A LOT OF FICS with Wally!Abuse in them. So I just figured…Hmm, I wonder…Anyway thanks for your review! LOL, male bonding is fun to write!

TotallyLosingIt: ANOTHER AUTHOR I FAVORITED! Innocence and Civvie were hands down amazing! Totally in love with every word! And you're right, it sounds awful to say. But I admit that I am a shameless WALLY WHUMPER (because honestly, you hit it on the head-it's fun to say, and to type frankly. ) Glad you loved everything! Thank you so much!

Chain of Fate: Hey there, new replier! THANKS! I'm glad to know my story is so loved! Just makes my day! Thank you again!

Cary99: Two new repliers in a row? I'm so lucky! Just, thank you! I'm happy you enjoyed the father-bonding moment!

Litra: With such amazing reviewers, how could I not? Especially ones like you, who reply to almost every single chapter! It just means so much!

Scarlet Mist: LOL! Thank you! And I agree…math is evil.

GrayAreas: *teehee* I LOVE IT! Thanks bunches!

Sincerely Seven: AWW! Thank you! And you're right! As unintentional as it was, this did turn into a character study! I'm all flattered!

Black Licorice Addict: Thanks! Everyone seems pretty pleased with KFxSupey bonding! Glad you're liking the character development!

Kristie Lynn: Thank you! And double thanks for reviewing!

Ck4eva: WOW, you were so energetic! Loved it! On a completely unrelated note…What's CK?

Bat-dove: Thank you for making me snort milk all over myself. Because that's what I did when I read your comment. LOL


	9. Freeze

Chapter Nine: Freeze

Early morning sun reached out its long thing finger through Wally's window, lightly feathering the entire room in dappled light and tugging at his eyelids, forcing them open. He tugged his eyes open at the insistence of the day, immediately seeing the white ceiling and the few light green glow-in-the-dark stars that had survived his younger years. Birds sang wistfully outside, slowly beckoning the day to begin with their woven tapestry of music. The noises of traffic were just starting in the distance, he could hear Aunt Iris beginning to shuffle around the kitchen, and then the familiar sound of the coffee pot spitting out its dark concoction into the awaiting glass pitcher. Smells of cooking eggs and baking pancakes wafted into the air dreamily, and he could just taste the sugary flavor of the syrup he would drench them in. It was so normal. His hands unconsciously grabbed at his sheets as he tested to see if they were real, to see if all of it was real. His mind began to reel as he thought back to yesterday. Yesterday, when he had woken to the sound of grinding gears and gasping superhero teens, teens who turned out to be his best friends, his team. Then the hunger, the speed, and the darkness he had fallen into after experiencing them both. Batman and Flash, single arrows, blonde archers, young ninjas, mean fathers, broken bikes, webbed hands, noticeable gills, fast movies, worried aunts, meta-human uncles-had it all been real? Had he really done and witnessed all of that? Had he broken the sound barrier? Had he met _the Flash_? Was he a hero? Or, was he just the Wally he remembered? Maybe he had dreamed it all up, and now that it was gone, so was Kid Flash, the sidekick that never was. But then his stomach roared in that impossible way and let go of that thought. It was real. It had to have happened because no dream could be that intense or that realistic. The smell of cooking danced through the room again, and Wally found the will to untangle himself from the warm sheets and fling himself onto the much colder floor. Once he was up though, he was up. He threw open a closet, grabbing a washed-out red tee-shirt with a faded lightning bolt printed on its chest, knowing Barry would get a kick out of it. Then he slipped on some jeans and half heartedly brushed at his mop of red hair before he dashed out of the room and down the stairs, taking care to not go into the mad dash that his body whined for.

He thumped into the kitchen, and noticed how average everything looked. Aunt Iris was standing diligently over the over, somehow managing to already be put together in a nice pencil skirt and blouse though it was seven thirty in the morning, Uncle Barry was at the table, pawing through a paper and sipping at a cup of decaffeinated coffee, and from the sound of the news station was drifting in from the television in the living room. No one would suspect that Barry Allen was the Flash. No one would ever guess that this man calmly reading a paper could run faster than light itself at any given moment. And surely no one would ever fathom the possibility that Iris Allen could give the Flash's secret identity, not one person would even think to ask. They just acted so normal. Wally wouldn't have even questioned it, had he not been informed of his uncle's true occupation…if he hadn't lived it.

"Wally!" Aunt Iris exclaimed, noticing the teen had found his way into the kitchen. She wiped her hands on a small towel hanging from the stove and then grabbed the teen in her arms, dragging him into a welcoming hug that once again made his face turn a slightly dark shade of blue before she released him.

"Morning," Wally said, returning the smile before his eyes flickered over to the eggs and pancakes.

"I bet you're starving!" Iris remarked, "Barry told me about how your food situations on the training exercise, about how they had to pump nutrients into you!" She continued, grabbing a plate and beginning to assemble a mound off eggs, "Which reminds me-what were you thinking? Not restocking you cupboards?" she scolded, though Wally had no idea what she was talking about.

"Sorry…And what cupboards?" Wally asked, but he was only half-way paying attention as a nice skyscraper of pancakes was starting to rise from the foundation of eggs.

"Oh, right." She murmured, but she regained her placement once again, not willing to break stride in the important lecture, "The compartments on your costume's wrists!" she informed him, "Just enough space for a candy bar! How hard is it to put a candy bar in there, Wally?" she asked, getting out the syrup, "I mean, you walk by a gas station everyday!" she pointed out, shaking her head.

"Sorry, Aunt Iris. Promise I'll run by there today sometime and grab one." Wally said solemnly, and then smiled widely when the heaping plate was shoved at him. It was a very impressive display, and to Wally it would qualify as a piece of art.

He took a huge fork full of the meal and began to shove it into his mouth.

"So, what's going on today?" Wally asked in between mouthfuls of food, gulping down the few stray chews that hadn't quite been finished yet while he spoke.

"It's just like usual, Wally." Barry commented, getting up and folding the paper, "Except that you're not going to school, of course."

Wally grinned, "I'm not?" he asked excitedly.

"No, you'll be staying here with Iris, and when I come home from work I'll take you back to the Mountain." Barry explained.

Wally's face fell, "You're the Flash and…_you're going to work_?"

Barry nodded, "It pays the bills. Running around in spandex doesn't." he said lightheartedly.

Wally crossed his arms, "What about patrol? When do you fit that in?"

"Lunch breaks" Barry explained in passing before glancing at the wall clock. He walked over to Iris, throwing both arms around her waist and planting a small kiss on her cheek.

"Work starts in thirty minutes, and it takes me twenty five to get over by car. Don't want to be late!" he said, letting go of Iris and then ruffling Wally's hair.

"Hasn't stopped you before!" Iris called playfully as Barry grabbed his keys.

"Old habits die hard," Barry replied brightly, and then he was gone and the sound of the garage door opening filled the house.

][][][][

Wally was sure that even in normal speed the day was passing slowly.

"Aunt Iris?" Wally asked, pushing the white door that lead to the office slightly ajar. From the outside, he could hear the sounds of occasional keys clicking before a rampant and angry torrent of rapid clicks that would be followed by small reprieves of silence that would shortly begin again with small monotonous clicks, starting the cycle once again. He peeked in the room to see Iris seated firmly in her chair, pulled all the way up to a petite hardwood desk with a laptop set on it. All around her sheets of paper were messily stacked or, in other and far more common places, simply strewn about and littering the desk and the floor. Iris had her eyes locked on the computer screen with a determined edge in her eyes, but a confident smile to match seemed to be just out of reach, and instead she displayed a faltered tilt in her lips. She bit down on her bottom lip slightly, and Wally cleared his throat, "Aunt Iris?"

Iris blinked, as though shocked, and then looked around the room in bewilderment until her eyes fell on Wally, noticing her nephew for the first time.

"Oh!" she gasped, clearly embarrassed , "Wally! Sorry, didn't see you there, honey!" she apologized warmly, "Are you feeling all right?"

Wally nodded, "Yeah, just a little bored. What are you working on?" he asked, looking for something to preoccupy him. Iris was a journalist, after all. Surely in a city as big as Central _something_ had to be going on, and in that case, Iris would know by extension.

Iris flicked her eyes towards the monitor and frowned.

"I wish I was working on anything. _Picture News_ is really starting to get popular, and people are expecting stories." Iris explained, but then her shoulder sagged slightly, "But there's nothing to write about. No committee meetings until next week, no elections coming up, and they assigned Steven to the new zoning laws issue." Iris continued, "Usually I have the Flash to fall back on, but there hasn't been a robbery since last week's, and I already reported that."

Wally nodded, frowning.

"Ouch, sorry Aunt Iris." Wally tried to sympathize.

Iris turned her eyes on Wally, "Thank you, Wally." She said before she laughed, "I just feel horrible admitting that I wish Captain Cold or someone would commit a crime."

"Well, it'd certainly be more exciting than this." Wally mumbled, and Iris sent him a look of apology.

"Sorry you can't go to school today, Wally."

"I promise I wouldn't tell anyone! Besides, no one would believe me if I did!" Wally said. Besides, how would being a side kick even come up in a conversation?

Iris nodded understandably, "We just wouldn't want to risk it right now. That would be a mess, wouldn't it?" she asked, shaking her head at the thought.

Wally groaned, "Well, is there something I can do?" he asked, suddenly hopeful.

Iris sucked in her breath, thinking.

"Well, I don't think so…" she trailed, biting her lip thoughtfully.

"What about what you were talking about earlier? My 'cupboard' thingies?" Wally asked brightly, thinking of something to do.

Aunt Iris was taken by surprise by her nephews sudden enthusiasm and she nodded.

"Yes, I did say something about them at breakfast, why?" she wondered.

"I could run by the gas station and pick up something for them! It's right down the street!"

Iris gave Wally a hard look, "Barry said that Batman specifically instructed him that you were not to use you powers. At all." She reminded him gently, a flash of worry in her crossing her face.

"I meant that as in just going by there. Please?" Wally added. Iris leaned back in her chair and away from the demanding keyboard and expectant screen. Her expression clouded with worry and silent debate.

"Please Aunt Iris!" Wally begged, "You always let me!" he reminded her. When her expression remained the same his eyes widened.

"This is because I can't remember being Flash Junior isn't it?" he asked.

"Kid Flash," Iris corrected automatically, and Wally blushed, his cheeks almost as red as his hair.

"Well, whatever," he grumbled, "And anyway, I'm still fifteen! I still remember how to get there and to cross the street!" he protested. Sure, he didn't remember zipping along at the speed of light, but he could still go to the gas station. He was still Wally, fifteen year old Wally.

Iris instantly felt bad, keeping Wally cooped up in the house, but she still had her worries.

"What if you use your speed?" she asked and Wally gave her a look.

"I can't even remember how to really use it, Aunt Iris." He said, shrugging, "But if I won't use it at all, promise! I'm just looking for something to do, and this should kill some time."

"Fine," the journalist gave in. Wally had a point, and he really did need to restock, lest another starvation episode happen during another mission.

Wally grinned wildly, "Thanks, Aunt Iris!" he said with gratitude walking over to his aunt and surrounding her a bear hug, "Be back soon!"

Iris laughed and nodded, "Please do!" she called after him as he turned to leave, and then thought of something.

"Oh, and Wally! Tell me how much gas is when you get back!"

"I will!" Wally hollored, and then he trotted down the hall. Iris heard the front door open and close, leaving the house feeling empty. She turned back to her equally empty word document and sighed, her fingers hovering expectantly over the keys. What to write?

][][][][

The gas station was a popular one, if there ever could be a popular gas station. It had a bright blue roof that acted like a beacon to nearly empty tanks and also was frequently used by Wally and his friends as a meeting place. Besides from gas, the place sold the cheapest sodas in town, hot dogs that could rival just about anything, and pizza that put Domino's to shame. In fact, the place was so popular that if one were to say that they wanted to meet at the gas station, everyone automatically assumed that Stop&Go was where you were referring to. The little establishment was wedged into the city on a corner that was only a few blocks from Wally's house and the redhead could get their practically with his eyes closed, if he didn't have to pass exactly two fairly bus streets to get there.

Wally pushed open the glass doors of the gas station, and was immediately by the smell of greasy food and cleanser. A wispy women with brown hair was leaning against the bright blue counters, her small frame just barely peeking over the register. Recognizing her, Wally smiled at her, and waved.

"Hey, Bethany!" he called over to her before he walked causally into walked into a small aisle that had rows of candy on the shelves.

"Hey, Wally! Are you meeting James or anyone?" Bethany asked. She was a year above Wally and had run track with some of his friends. She had applied for a job at Stop&Go, and gotten it. Now she was just as much a part of the scenery as the gas pumps, it seemed. It'd be sad to see her go when she got applied for her dream job as the news anchor-everyone liked Bethany.

Wally grabbed three candy bars from the shelves, one for each 'cupboard' and then one for the way home. Then he took the hand full over to the counter and placed each one down the slick blue surface.

"No, just this today." Wally told her, pulling a wallet out from his pocket.

"Well, chocolate's just as good." Bethany replied, and started to ring it up.

"I suppose." Wally said smiling, and then looked around. It was weird more people weren't at the station, usually at least five or six people were wandering around the aisles by now. Instead, it was just him and the girl who worked here.

"Sure is empty today." Wally commented as the second candy bar was slid under the price checker.

"Aw, it's always this way in the middle of the day. You're just here after school usually." Bethany said casually, "By the way, why aren't you in school?" she asked, but it wasn't said interrogatingly, just curiously.

"It's a long story." Wally laughed, "But I have Iris's and Barry's permission." He told assuredly.

"Okay," she chuckled, "Now, that'll be four dollars and eighty three cents." She informed him brightly and he nodded as he bent down to retrieve his wallet from his pant pocket.

Just as he looked down, a chilling scream pierced the air like an archer's arrow, and Wally shot his head up to see Bethany pointing at the door frantically, a never ending shriek of surprise, fear and disbelief pouring desperately from her mouth. Wally whipped his head to the side, his eyes flying to in the direction of the girl's manically wavering finger.

"Hello, kids." A voice said. It was thick and raspy, and for some reason it was familiar to Wally even though he couldn't place it. But when his eyes landed on the voices owner, he knew exactly who it was.

"Oh my god!" Bethany wailed, "You're Captain Cold!" her eyes growing wide as he lifted up the weapon that had given him his name.

"Yes I am," he growled, "And don't make faces like that," he chided the girl, "It might freeze that way." He threatened, giving the gun a gentle shake.

The worker immediately shut her mouth, her eyes glued to the gun as though already frozen.

"Now," he said, completely ignoring Wally, "Be a good little brat and open the register."

The girl gulped and opened the register as told, a soft and cheerful ring escaping it and seeming very out of place. As she did so, Cold walked up and seemed to take notice of the redhead for the first time. He narrowed his eyes menacingly.

"Get out of the way!" he ordered, and Wally paled "Well?" the Captain demanded forcefully before he whipped the barrel of his gun to Wally's face.

"Move right now or I'll freeze to that spot forever." The villain said through the back of his throat.

Wally stared down the darkened barrel of the gun and swallowed hard, torn between to impulses that seemed to rack him. The first one was sensible, and it was to move and then duck out of the back and try to call the police. However, there was a second and far more powerful urge that was stupid and completely suicidal.

"Are you seriously robbing a gas station?" Wally asked, his voice coming out far more confident than the rather terrified teen felt.

The comment seemed to throw the man off balance, and his gun wavered a bit.

"Excuse me?" he said, an almost primal rumble in his throat. His finger tightened around the trigger.

Wally couldn't believe he hadn't moved. He still could. But his mouth seemed to have a mind of its own.

"What?" Wally questioned sadly, "Can big bad Captain Cold not take on a bank?" Wally asked, wanting to kick himself. Or whatever it was that lived inside his head and told him to be an idiot.

Suddenly he saw Bethany duck out the front door through the corner of his eyes, and he smiled, almost dizzy with relief as she began to yell, "I'm calling the police!"

The villain growled at Wally, not even turning to face his disappeared captive. The man looked so angry he could kill someone, and Wally realized with a sinking feeling that he was the only one in the general vicinity. With a roar of sheer anger, Cold shoved his weapon closer to Wally's face. Wally noted with horror as the man's finger tightened around the trigger.

"So long, Squirt." Captain Cold hissed.

][][][][

Author's Mailbag:

Chain of Fate: Thanks! *sigh* Over protectiveness is SO much more fun to write than I'd thought it'd be. And I totally based some of her freak out on my own mom, so rest assured you're not alone! Thanks for the encouragement! LOL

Litra: I could too! Thanks! For both the review and the congratulations!

CK4eva: WHOA! THE ENERGY IN YOUR MESSAGE IS NOW BEING TURNED INTO THE NEXT EARTH-FRIENDLY POWER SOURCE. Thank you! You have not only reviewed and loved Iris, but are now responsible for a considerable rise in green energy! By the way, aside from his horrible parenting skills, Superman is amazing!

KaliAnn: Thanks!

GhostDog401: LOL, thanks! Now, as another reviewer pointed out, I did get the idea from Crisis On Two Earths (Youtube it if you haven't seen it-It's amazing). But I'm glad you liked the line! :D

JenelleL: Iris is like writing for the universal stereotyped mom, so nearly any emotion is possible when it concerns Barry and Wally. Instant fluff and instant Mother Hen gold. Thanks for noticing the length! These are the longest chapters I've ever written! And any time! Everyone needs someone to plug their brain back in every once in a while!

Rowanfall: Yes, I got the from Crisis On Two Earths! I love it and so it had to be hinted at at least once! Thanks for noticing! LOL, you forgot to put in By the by! This time you were number 7. Getting closer!

Scarlet Mist: Whoo! Angst five! And it's okay to go fangirl! I'm glad you liked Iris's reaction!

Irenerb: Bam! Update!

Adoglover5: Totally agree with you on hugs! I've been in a few myself, and it's really nice until you start to turn a lovely shade sapphire! LOL! And hmm, I can actually see the Flash doing some of those…but not necessarily in a car! :D And I agree, the best way to show how much you like a character is to torture said character mercilessly! As long as they don't die, it's fair game! I sound like such a hirrible person…

Black Licorice Addict: And somewhere, Batman twitched his lip, turned to Robin and said, "I am always right, never forget that."

Carry99: Thank you!

Bat-dove: I will willingly and proudly admit that I suffer from OPOWS!

A Random Reader: ME NIETHER!

Karma Killer: SO many compliments! Thanks so much! I hope you continue to enjoy this!

DayDreamingofyou: Well, aren't I all flattered? Thank you so much! This made my day!

Mara jade chase: Thanks for replying! Especially by phone!

xxHeadInTheStarsxx: Aaaaaand…twist! LOL! :D


	10. Captured

Chapter 10: Captured

Captain Cold gritted his teeth with anticipation, each tooth sliding against the others like cracked ice cubes. The store was thick with tension as it seemed the whole room waited in eagerness, expectantly watching the scene unfold. The redhead stared solely down the barrel of the ray, his widened emerald eyes flashing with terror and something that could be described as frustration. His position seemed to be hesitantly shifting down as he unconsciously dropped into a half-hearted defensive pose, hardly aware he was doing it. His ashen face was only colored by the splatter of freckles, which made his red hair stick out like a bull's-eye, and that was fitting considering Captain Cold was about to use the brat for target practice. The man narrowed his eyes, and then his long gloved fingers pulled all the way down on the trigger. The kid gasped in horror, and then the entire room was filled with white fog escaped the gun, blasting out a powerful beam of ice so cold that even the ground beneath the ray was lightly coated with a layer of thin ice crystals. The sound of ice growing brushed the room, brittle cracking noises breaking out with a chilling sound. Even the Captain felt the cold of the breeze that the gun had released, and he ground his teeth to ignore it. Then, just as quickly as it had come, the fog began to disperse. Cold blinked away the frost that had laced his facial features, and then he looked in astonishment where the boy had stood. Right where the redhead had been, a mountain of hardened ice stood purposefully, but its translucent walls were empty, and no frozen boy was forever trapped in the frostbitten fortress. Cold stared uncomprehendingly at the pillar of ice and the floor around it, which was dominated by a layer of ice that coated the once sparkling tiles of the gas station.

Wally blinked. Even though he was standing still, he was pretty sure he had broken the sound barrier. He could feel himself…vibrating, his muscles stirring in all directions with an unnatural power fueling them. Everything around him was even slower than it had been. Things were moving, but only a fraction of their regular speed. Captain Cold's gun was firing, yes, but it was as if the ice forming inside of the barrel were instead a thick and gooey molasses. Even as it shot out, it was just barely passing walking speed. Captain Cold himself had his eyes trained on Wally's location, a smirk stretching across his face sluggishly, contorting face into a snarling and unpleasant expression. That's when it hit Wally-everything was moving at exactly the right speed, everything except for him. His body had slipped into autopilot-he was moving at a sonic speed! He smiled as the ray of ice approached him slothfully, as though shy of touching him, as it reached out towards him. It was so amazing, and he couldn't help but widen the smile that played across his lips. The hunger seemed worth it at this moment and his body was screaming with elation, thrilled that it was finally being allowed to move at this far more comfortable pace. He was still standing and watching the beam approach him, but only a baby step at a time. His thoughts turned towards the back door that was located in the back of the store, and they stretched deeper into the hope of escape. At this speed, he could practically crawl to the door and get out before Cold had even realized he was gone. Wally nodded to himself, a smile still on his face. Wait 'till he told Aunt Iris! Sure, he'd used his speed, but under the circumstances he was positive she would be more than happy to forgive him. That thought in mind, he took a step just in time to avoid the beam. The beam of pure ice passed him right by, and the ground erupted with a crackling sound as frost grew over the ground. However, Wally wasn't paying so much attention to that, because as soon as he'd put his foot back down at that super speed, he'd felt the slick ice beneath his feet that had formed along the ground. He screamed, the world speeding up again as he collided with the frostbitten floor, sliding against the harsh and unforgiving flooring of ice.

"Whoa!" he yelled, as he slid into the aisles of the gas station.

Captain Cold narrowed his eyes as they caught up with the sliding teen. No teenager moved that fast…none except the Flash's brat. From behind his protective goggles, Cold's eyes widened before a thick grin smeared across his face. He took his gun, and fired it at the ground, creating a slick coating of ice wherever the ray landed. Once the ground was completely coated, Cold walked towards the aisles, his boots crunching against the icy flooring. Their traction made a scraping sound, and Cold laughed bitterly.

"Come on out, Baby Flash!" the man yelled, taking a step nearer the aisles, "I know it's you and I know you're here!" He screamed, and he took his gun and fired some more, making the tiled floor slick and unsteady. No way was the little monster going to get out.

Wally breathed heavily, pressing himself against the end of an aisle, his head digging into a shelf containing chips. He was so dead, so dead, so dead! He had a lunatic chasing after him, sure. But worse than that, Aunt Iris was waiting at home, and once she found out about this…He was so dead. Suddenly he looked down, and noted with a growing horror that ice was begging to spread across the floor, crawling up the bluish tile like a weed.

"Aw, crud." Wally muttered. He'd already proven he couldn't run on this stuff very well; he hardly could control it at all right now. But he could hear the crook moving closer to him, so Wally forced himself to his feet. Gingerly, he laid his foot on the slick ground, and wrapped his hand around the shelf for support.

"Come on out!" The voice demanded, and Wally looked behind him instinctively. He couldn't believe he was doing this. He was hiding in aisles inside of a gas station, dodging a super-villain. He couldn't even remember being the kid that had this guy so ticked off. Without warning, Wally gasped as he lost his footing, and he slid to the ground, skidding down the aisle.

"Oof!" Wally breathed out as his chest smacked the ground.

"There you are!" Cold exclaimed, his boot crunching as he moved into view.

"Double crud." Wally muttered, flailing out his arms to try to grab a hold of something to hoist himself up.

"Don't move!" Cold growled, and his gun shot out to face Wally.

"Would you stop pointing that at me?" Wally cried out in frustration, tripping over himself as he wobbled to his feet.

Captain Cold growled, a rumble in his throat as deep as a thunder storm, and he took a step closer to the speedster.

Wally leaned heavily against the end of the aisle, trying to find his footing on the slick floor. He was well aware of the threatening figure approaching him, but he would just end up sliding somewhere if he tried to use his super speed, which he wasn't totally comfortable with using. Triple crud. Suddenly, a chilling crackle erupted and Wally gasped as he turned just in time to see the ice spring from the gun.

The redhead yelped as the too-slow ray hit him, and sudden frostbite nipped his feet and spread up his legs like growing weeds. The ice weaved its way up him, seeming to move much faster as the freezing bite of ice stunned him. It was so cold, so cold, so cold! The ice continued its quick accent up his body, chilling his bones and seeping into his skin. It felt like sub-zero!

"Aah!" Wally screeched, instantly reaching his hands down to grab at his feet, but he only his solid ice. He looked down to see his feet frozen together, and to see ice that had grown up all the way past his knees. His legs and feet were encased in a translucent prison. Now he really couldn't run, and that was an alarming feeling.

Captain Cold smirked, lowering his gun. Baby Flash was off his game. The ground crunching beneath him, he made his way over to Wally, stopping and bending down triumphantly. With his gloved hands he smacked the icy trap and smiled up at Wally.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Cold clicked with his tongue, "What would Flash think?"

Wally frowned, "He'd be wondering why you were robbing a _gas station."_

Cold growled, and stood fluidly as he smacked Wally's cheek. It swelled to a bright cherry red, matching his flaming hair.

"Shut it, Baby Flash!" Cold ordered, "Or I'll give you back to the Flash one ice cube at a time!"

Suddenly Cold narrowed his eyes, listening to the screaming wails of police sirens. Looks like the girl had made good on her promise to alert the authorities of their little transaction.

He turned on Wally, who was punching against the ice vainly.

"Come one, Kid." Captain Cold snarled, "You're coming with me."

"Over my dead body!" Wally spat out instantly.

"Don't tempt me, Kid!"

][][][][

Iris eyed her computer murderously, daring it to mock her. But it was, in its own subtle ways, by staring at her half-expectantly, the keys chuckling to themselves as she typed across them. She'd be staring back though, and the woman and the machine faced each other like bitter enemies meeting each other on the battle line. It was a standoff, and Iris was afraid she was losing. Then, as a further insult, the monitor of the computer went black, blanking out in order to conserve power from not being touched so long, and not expecting to be touched any time soon. Iris moaned in frustration, leaning her head back as far as she could into the cushy head rest of her chair.

Suddenly the sound of a ringing phone erupted; jolting her from her thoughts as she desperately lunged for her phone, grateful for the distraction away from her empty word document.

"Hello?" Iris asked brightly, shoving the frustration out of her tone

"Iris!" A deep but scratchy voice exclaimed excitedly and Iris's eyes darted nervously to her empty screen. It was the editor, her boss, from _Picture News._

"Good afternoon, Sir." Iris replied calmly, dreading having to admit her empty column. She shoved her bright red hair out of her eyes and smiled anxiously even though the man couldn't see her face.

"Iris! Whatever you're writing, scrap it." Her boss ordered, and Iris practically melted right there in her seat with relief.

"No problem." She said conversationally, liberation clear in her voice.

"Good," her boss said approvingly, "Now, get your keys and get to the car! We got news!" the editor practically cheered, and Iris reached for her keys hurriedly.

"What news?" Iris asked, trying to get a feel for what she'd been writing.

"Captain Cold's actively committing a crime as we speak!" he boomed happily. Villainous activities always sold papers, always made headlines, and always were an entertaining read.

"That's great!" Iris laughed, feeling guilty once again over her elation, but she couldn't help it. Besides, she would probably get to see her favorite Scarlet Speedster drop in to save the day, "Where am I heading?" she asked, slipping into the car.

"That gas station, uh, Stop&Go!" her editor called, and Iris froze.

"Stop&Go?" she shrieked, and the whites of her eyes expanded.

"Yes, now stop stopping and go!" he boss ordered, not noticing the terror in the woman's voice.

"Oh my god! Wally!" Iris shrieked loudly, her hands tightening against the keys and leaving indents in her hands. But she didn't stay frozen for long, and with a surge of worry she shoved the keys violently into the slot and started the car. The vehicle roared to life, and she slammed her foot against the pedal, backing out faster than usual.

"Iris, what are you talking about?" her editor ordered, but she wasn't listening; instead she was gripping the wheel furiously, pulling out onto the road. Her wheels cried out in surprise, but she didn't listen to that either. And the honks that followed. Iris even ran the two stop lights as she barreled down the street. But as she turned the corner, her heart ran even faster than the motor.

There was the gas station, its bright blue roof, and it's bright blue sign. And, of course, the army of police cars that surrounded it. Their lights were blinking madly, an array of red and blue lighting. Swarms of officers were outside, guns pointed at the building, but they didn't look confident.

Iris screamed, worry wrapping around her heart like a fiery hand of emotion, and she pulled into the gas station, ignoring the police tape.

Immediately, and officer spotted her and shook his head, maxing a slashing movement with his arms as he approached.

"M'am, this is a crime scene." The police officer warned her, scratching at his mustache.

Iris's eyes flared with anger and annoyance, "My nephew is in there!" she screamed, and then her voice lowered to a calmer tone, "I'm Iris Allen with _Picture News_, and I have a right to be here as a reporter. Now, tell me what's going on." She demanded, and the officer glanced around uneasily.

"You're telling me a kid was in there?" he asked.

"Yes, Wally West, age fifteen. Why?" she demanded, her fear gorwing.

"Well, Miss Allen…that building is empty." The officer replied, and then reached for his walkie-talkie to report the news.

][][][][

Author's Mailbag

TO ALL: I feel so evil right now…If only I could have perfected my evil laugh…

KaliAnn: LOL, thanks! I love that fact, that they save the world on a daily basis, and yet they get paid more by sitting at a desk…Ahh, my messed up humor rears its wonderfully ugly head.

KF-AxxMexx: I really do love that Wally has a genius IQ, but acts like such a moron. Thank you, Wally, for your stupidity! And thank you for your comment!

Litra: Okay…not so much heroic going on there…Sorry. *blushes*

RowanFall: Wow, number 4! That's really close! :D Ah, Writer's Block, the bane of my (and many others) existence. Thank you, LOL! I love that you love this story! By the By, I refuse to put you in the corner of shame because I'm starting to love by the by.

Karma Killer 11: I had glow in-the-dark stars growing up, but I put them on my walls. I just figured that it's something almost everyone can relate to and picture. Glad you noticed it! Thank you!

GhostDog401: After reading your review, I had the strangest need to post my story…Hmm, ARE YOU A JEDI?

CK4eva: I want to add Roy, and I'm trying to find a way to fit him in. LOL, love your comment!

Bat-dove: I so bet your right! And totally, all of OPOWS would swarm him!

Scarlet mist: *Sigh* What are we going to do with that little redhead? Oh, and, definitely. I admitted to everyone in Together We Stood that I had a cliffie problem.  
>A Random Reader: Wow, you[re ready for any situation aren't you? What, do you and the Batman sit and theorize together? (P.S-I don't have one either)<p>

Cary99: Did you see that coming?

Adoglover5: LOL, that must've been AWESOME! HAHA! Sorry, though! And I agree with your Wally torture standards, LOL!

DayDreamingofYou: No, no spoilers! *Bites lip* Oooh, man. I seriously almost gave something away! :/ I'm bad with surprises.


	11. Hearts of Ice

Chapter 11: Hearts of Ice

Captain Cold kicked the door in, unable to simply turn the doorknob because of the unconscious speedster he carried limply in his arms. The redhead's eye remained closed and his breathing steady, even with the noticeable racket of the door swinging open, squeaking defiantly until whimpering as it slammed into the wall of the Rogue's hideout. Cold cringed at the sound, not looking forward to having to fix the wall that probably had a hole in it now, and stepped inside. The hideout was…unimpressive, to say the least. It was outfitted in a sickly orange carpet that was covered in coffee stains, messy tan walls, and had tacky furniture that didn't match that had been collectively donated from various Rogues. Everything was outdated, and it showed-from the ancient fridge to the television set that had survived the 90's. Cold sighed, briefly wishing for a more remarkable base, and then repositioned Wally before making his way fully into the hideout.

The place was empty, but Cold knew that he could count on at least a few Rogues coming to poke fun at his latest attempt. He grumbled, and then looked around the small quarters, scouting out an appropriate place to toss the kid. His eyes landed on an old wooden chair that had been placed beside the couch in order to make room for Trickster. Cold leaned the redheaded teen against the wall before he snatched the chair and dragged it over to a rather large closet. He faltered at his half formed idea, but shrugged. He flung open the closet door and pushed the chair inside. Then he made his way over to Wally, picking the teen up with a grunt. He hoisted Wally into a bridal position and then put him into the wooden chair. Standing up, Captain Cold glanced around the room looking for something to act as a restraint. He wandered into a small indent of the room that served as a kitchen, and opened the drawer of the single cabinet. To his fortune, a roll of duct tape was sitting readily, waiting to be used. He hastily grabbed the thick gray roll from its resting place, walking over to the slumping teen and employing it. He bound the teen's hands behind his back, and then coupled his legs together firmly, as well as his feet. After a silent debate, he reluctantly left Wally's mouth free of duct tape, wanting to use the whole role on keeping him still instead of quiet. Then he used up the rest of the roll, winding it up Wally's body like a cocoon. Once the entire roll was gone, Cold stood back to admire his handy work. Wally was nearly utterly layered in gray, his entire foot, knee, thigh, and chest area covered. Nodding approvingly to himself, Cold then bit his lip. Then he pulled out an extra set of gloves from an inside pocket of his costume, and shoved the left-handed glove in the teen's mouth.

"Who's that?" a voice asked suddenly, accompanied by the whining of the front door opening and slamming shut.

Cold whirled around to face the Trickster, who was proudly wearing his mismatched costume that was covered in multiple designs and textures. Cold was somewhat disappointed that this achievement would not first be displayed to Mirror Master or Captain Boomerang, or at least one of the more prominent and serious villains, but the Trickster would be okay, considering that at least the Trickster's reaction would be more dramatic than say, Heatwave.

"This little brat is Kid Flash." Cold answered somewhat smugly, gesturing to the teen that was slumped over in the chair, bound and gagged unimpressively.

Trickster looked in amazement at the fiery haired teen snuggly cocooned to the chair, his bright eyes widening expressively through his mask.

"_That's _Kid Flash? Where's his costume?" Trickster asked, stepping closer and leaning in to get a better look.

"Don't know-in his toy chest probably." Cold shrugged, smirking as he did so.

Just then, Trickster backed up as a snort escaped the slumping redhead. Wally lifted his head warily, his eyes clouded as he shook himself and tried to piece together what was going on. His eyes focused, and the mirrored vision he'd been experiencing settled out into the far less appealing image of where he actually was.

In front of him, a man with crazy hair and bright eyes was staring at him in amazement, and it hit Wally that this was the Trickster. He could tell because not one other Rogue, or any other _villain _for that matter, would ever wear anything so…cheerful. It was bright to look at, and the various patterns and textures seemed to jump out and beg for attention. That, and the fact that a Snotgun was dangling from his bright green belt buckle. Just behind the Trickster, Wally spotted his captor eyeing him. Cold was smiling confidently, complacently smirking. It occurred to Wally that he was being displayed like some kind of prize, which would have ticked him off if he weren't so scared. Not that he was a chicken, but he realized just how bad this was. Not five feet away from him, two of Central's most notorious criminals were eyeing him from inside a closet he'd been stuffed into. Wally instinctively tried to stand, but the thick layers of duct tape stayed strong, only allowing Wally a faint wiggle in his frantic movement for escape. Wally thrashed, his shoulders quaking with effort in one last attempt to escape. However, instead of assisting him in breaking away from his bindings, the radical motions only caused the back of the chair to dig into him, jabbing him painfully until Wally was still. Wally grinded his teeth and sat back, not wanting to continue hurting himself and feeling the thin bruises starting to form on his back, discoloring his skin while he turned to eye his captors, who were watching with amusement. It was embarrassing, and he could practically taste their enjoyment.

"Have a nice nap, Baby Flash?" Cold asked, addressing the redhead with a mocking tone that made Wally's blood boil, but an underlying fear still found its way into his heart.

"Mmph." Wally retorted, but his eyes widened in disgust once he found the blue gag shoved uncomfortably in his mouth. It tasted half-cleaned, a faint tang of sweat brushing in his jaws and making him want to hurl. Instantly his gag reflex began, but his stomach only flexed harshly, and Wally once again cursed his over-active metabolism. Nothing coming up meant that nothing was down, and nothing being down meant he was on empty. He couldn't remember anything of his speed, but he had already found out the hard way that if nothing was in his stomach, he was weak. Seriously weak. He would need food, and he'd need it soon.

"Mmph!" groaned out, glaring at the two crooks.

"Come on, Kid Flash, use your words!" Trickster laughed, but he was reprimanded by Cold, who then made his way over to the red headed teen. The tall figure leaned out to Wally, and instantly the teen felt the overly-soft material glide roughly out of his mouth, making his skin tingle as it brushed against his teeth.

"Okay, Kid." Cold growled, "Listen up-I got some principles, understand?" Cold asked harshly, his voice grumbling like a broken ice machine.

"Principles?" Wally asked, interrupting the villain, "Dude, open your eyes! You just robbed a gas station, kidnapped a fifteen year-old, bound him and gagged him, and then shoved him in a closet! What principles could you possibly have?" Wally fired out, only stopping when Cold's gaze bore down into him like little knives. That's when Wally was reminded of how he was in this situation because he had moved his mouth instead of his feet, and he tossed his glance down to the mistreated orange carpet that was stretched pathetically over the floor.

"I don't kill," Cold said in a deathly serious tone, but his beady eyes turned murderous, "Don't make me have to get rid of my principles, because then I'll be upset. And no one wants that, now do they?"

"Nope," Wally said uncomfortably when he realized that the villain was waiting for a response, "I'm positive no one wants that. That's a very good moral. Totally honorable."

"Thought you might say that." Cold said, giving a small grin that showed off his ice-cube teeth, "Now, that being out of the way, I'm going to ask you a few questions."

"Questions?" Wally asked, growing nervous.

"Oh, yeah." Cold smiled, "And if there's ever one you don't want to answer, that's perfectly fine."

Wally stared up at the guy dumbfounded, and waited for the catch.

"It's fine?" he asked, the question clearly asking for whatever loophole there was to be found.

"Absolutely, but here's what makes it interesting," Cold's smile twisted, his face now angled mercilessly, "Whenever you don't answer a question, I'm going to let the Trickster here play with a few of his toys."

Trickster smiled, "Really? I just got this new cat vomit! But, wait, here's the cool thing! It's mixed with acid!" the man smiled, and he shoved his hand into his harlequin suit and shifted around inside before pulling out a gun. The barrel of it however, was shaped like a cat's head, its mouth wide open.

"If I pull the tail, WHAM-O!" The Trickster exclaimed, "Acid vomit! Right out of the mouth!"

Wally's face scrunched up with a shudder, his stomach turning.

"That's nasty!" Wally said with absolute distaste, not wanting any of the contents of the gun to ever touch his skin. Or, for that matter, any part of him.

Trickster frowned like a pouting child before crossing his arms defensively over his chest, "At least its more creative than my Snotgun." He grumbled.

Cold leaned in close to Wally's face, a wide and toothy grin, "Remember Kid, I don't kill. Not even for mercy. Now," he said, and his smile grew spacious, "Question one, what's your name?"

][][][][

Barry Allen was drowning in a vast ocean of rage, a new wave of anger smashing away heavily against the few strongholds of forgiveness that lay forgotten in his heart. He was furious. The color of a thick and gooey blood red tinged his vision, and liquid fire pumped healthily through his veins. Only his fist colliding with the ice pillar inside of Stop&Go chilled him enough to calm down as the dreamy twinkling noise of clattering ice smashing to the floor filled the room. No one, save Iris had ever seen Barry this upset. A squad of policemen was standing at the front door, not entirely certain whether or not this close to the Scarlet Speedster was the safest place to be. The Flash turned, all of his righteous fury clinging to him, pouring off from him. They didn't fully understand the hero's intense aggravation either. The Flash was constantly dealing with hostage children, and while the man was understandably determined with each case, the speedster never got this worked up over it.

"What were the last sightings of Captain Cold?" Flash said evenly, but the underlying tone to his voice was almost terrifying.

"We haven't heard anything about him…" The head officer in charge of the squad replied, impressively only letting his voice tremble a little.

Barry growled in frustration, but then reminded himself to calm down.

"Thank you. Now, I'll alert you when I find the teen Iris Allen reported as missing. Be sure to let Mrs. Allen know as soon as possible that the Flash will find her kid." Flash said, nearly achieving an almost polite tone through his thick haze of anger. Then, he was gone, only a faint blur of red standing a second before disappearing with its owner.

There was silence for a minute before the head of the squad whistled deeply before turning to his men.

"Alert Mrs. Allen that the Flash is involved, you heard him!" the man ordered, not about to let a request from the Flash fall onto empty ears. And at that moment, no one was sure rather to feel worse for Mrs. Allen, or the sorry soul who had taken the kid in the first place.

][][][][

Flash was running so fast that his eyes watered, even though they were protected by his cowl. He had checked the entire North side of town. He already had is route planned-From the North he would head East. After he checked out that district he would cut down to the South side of town. Then the…West. It shouldn't have hurt to think of a direction but it did. Like one thousand screaming angels had simultaneously ripped at his heart. Luckily, however, they had avoided his feet and he pushed himself faster. Buildings whipped by, and he noted that he had passed into the East part of town.

Barry could feel his teeth grinding, causing a buzzing sound to reverberate in his body. With a few deep breaths the speedster commanded himself to calm down. He couldn't be this angry when he finally found Cold. Anger was a powerful emotion, and it made you do things you regretted. And Barry wasn't going to let the Rogues make him feel anything like regret. So he breathed in heavily, and he began to calm down, if only enough to keep his teeth from grinding all the way down to his gums.

However, even when Barry did manage to gain control over himself, he found that the buzzing from the grinding of his teeth was still there. That's when it hit Barry and he slowed automatically, reaching for his ear piece. His fingers tapped the receiver button delicately, and not moments later Batman spoke.

"Flash, Miss Martian and Martian Manhunter have arrived at Mount Justice. Collect Kid Flash and bring him over." Batman said bluntly, waiting patiently for a response.

"Wally's been kidnapped by Captain Cold." Barry replied instantly, a fresh new assault of raw emotion lacing his words.

Silence. The kind of silence that spoke volumes. In this silence, Batman clearly conveyed the many layers of "I knew this would happen". However, Bruce let this silence only hang in air for a mere span of seconds before he spoke.

"When and how?" The Dark Knight asked tensely, as in gentle a voice as the vigilante was capable. He knew that Wally meant almost as much to Barry as Dick did to him. Maybe, perhaps, just as much.

"Nearly an hour ago!" Barry growled in frustration, "And by Captain Cold!"

"Was he wearing his uniform?" the detective asked, trying to understand the situation without setting Barry off. The needed the speedster to find Wally, and an emotionally stressed was very difficult to work with, no matter how just his frustration was.

"No. Iris reported a teen missing, wearing a faded red…Flash tee shirt." Barry ground out, stumbling slightly over the Flash part.

"So its possible Cold doesn't know who he has." Batman theorized.

"Does that matter? He still has him, Bruce!" Barry erupted in aggravation.

"Flash, calm down. I'll start scanning police reports for any evidence. In the mean time, I'll send the Young Justice down to search with you."

"Believe me, Bats, I'm trying…" Barry said, rather calmly when compared to his last reaction, "It's just…it's Wally." Barry explained.

"I know," Batman said and signed off. He could relate. Robin was Robin, Dick was Dick. And if anything got to either of the two, Batman would be in the same place as the speedster.

He switched frequencies, connecting to the communicator's that linked the entire Young Justice.

"Change of plans. Debreifing-now" Batman ordered.

][][][][

Author's Mailbag

TO ALL: This is just where I wanted to thank all of you. I have so many fantastic reviewers, and so many kind words. I just wanted to use this space to express how much it means to me! Thank you, each and every one of you!

TotallyLosingIt: LOL! Captain Cold has Wally, and then I read YAY! LOL, I love it! And honestly, who didn't have that reaction?

GhostDog401: You're in Mexico? Are you having fun? :D And LOL, I won't tell anyone that GHOSTDOG401 IS A JEDI! LOL! And, I totally laughed so hard when I read TAXI!

Xellda: LOL, yes, just one of my many talents! Sorry, I don't mean to torture people Thanks for your review!

GrayAreas: My PMs is now up and running again, without any weirdness! Baby Flash? Ooh, if Wally could remember being Kid he would be so hurt!

DayDreamingofYou: Nah, you can _ask_ for spoilers…I just won't tell them to you And I totally agree-Wally can find trouble at a Butterfly farm if he tries. *Sigh*

KaliAnn: Cold has a sister? Hmm…Is she dead or something? You never see her.

Scarlet Mist: How's your pillow? And exactly how much am I footing for hospital bills? LOL!

JanelleL: LOL, it's completely fine! Don't cry! Did I portray the Trickster right? I'm a little standoffish with him when I write him because he's new and I don't know that much about him. So if he came off wrong, I'm sorry! And, because of your praise, I might just start looking for Rogue stories now.

RowanFall: I'm doing Abuse!Wally, but I'm not really playing on it all that much. And I so agree! In The Grave is fantastic and next Adoglover5 is going for Breaking Speed, and that sounds REALLY AMAZING! Ooh, Anuse!Artemis would be hard. She's just so strong willed, except for Homefront where they made her kind of a pansy. I like the Spitfire pairing too! And thanks! Description can be hard to write , but it feels amazing when you find the perfect word to convey what you're picturing in your mind! May the Writer's Block burn! By the by, this time you got number…9. Oh, well!

KF-AxxMexx: Wally's probably going to get in trouble….but I'm more worried for the Rogues.

Aedian: Oh, thank you! I love comments like that!

Adoglover5: Hmm, Flash or Iris…Cold should start running. And letting Wally go is never a good thing. Never. Unless of course, you are a writer/reader of Wally Abuse, in which case it is always a fabulous idea. And, I hate to sound out of it, but what's FTW?

Animecutie610: Moo-ha-ha-hah! Is that okay? *Looks up hopefully*

Bat-dove: I agree. He should think these things through.

CK4eva: *Looks around* Of course everyone does! I just appreciate it the most! LOL!

Asdf: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Jemand: LOL, and you are correct! Batman, poor Batman… LOL

Pimu: I'm afraid I don't understand your question. :/


	12. Gone

Chapter 12:

"He's…what?" Robin asked, disbelieving. But if he knew anything about his mentor, the Batman never joked around, he never smiled slyly and said brightly "Just kidding!" and he most definitely would not start to when it came to this. The team seemed to mimic Robin's question though, despite the fact that all of them knew all too well the same facts that the Boy Wonder did-the Batman never joked. And still they asked, all pleading silently in their hearts that somehow this was a twisted joke. They asked with their eyes, colors of gray, piercing blue, and even from behind masks.

"Kid Flash has been reported missing, captured by Captain Cold." Batman stated firmly once more.

Normally, this wouldn't have been as big of a deal. Sure, they would still all be slightly concerned. Each member would hold a small, heavy stone in their heart. But they wouldn't let it scare them. Kid Flash could move at the speed of sound, he could fight and think on his feet. Kid Flash could protect himself. What had each person apprehensive, what had every individual under its fearful hand, was the understanding that Wally West could not protect himself. Technically speaking, the teen could run just as fast and he could think just as fast, but the problem was he couldn't remember fighting. He couldn't remember defending himself or defending others, being a hero, or saving the day. Heck, the redhead couldn't remember his hero _name_ most of the time. That's what chilled them. That's what had their teeth set on edge. Wally West couldn't remember Kid Flash. But Captain Cold could. That's what was pushing them into thoughts of dread and unease. It was that cold but firm hand that was ripping away at them silently.

But they were heroes, and despite it all, no one flinched. No one asked for the words to be repeated again. No one flicked an eyelash. Because they were being strong. They were being the heroes. And they were going to take Cold down. And then they were going to restore Wally's memories. All they had to do was find him.

"Where are we headed?" Artemis asked, and her gray eyes flashed with determination, quickly approved by Robin and Kaldur as they assumed the same resolve that had coursed through the blonde teen.

"Central City. There the Flash will meet you." Batman supplied, "Take the Zeta Beams."

As the teens began to head out, Batman stopped them with a gruff clearing of the throat, "Remember, Kid Flash is still in a fragile mental state, despite any progress he may have made socially among the Team. Keep in mind that he will not recognize Miss Martian, and his reactions will be that of any other average fifteen year old in a hostage situation. Also, the Flash is not currently in the most lenient of moods. Follow instructions, and do not stray from the plan."

"We will not." Aqualad promised seriously, his intent clear as his almost translucent blue eyes. If anyone of the members on the team were as set on retrieving Wally, it was Kaldur. He had failed his fiery haired teammate once, and he would not do so again. He was leader, and this is where he would repay the debts that guilt had tolled him.

The rest of the team nodded their agreements, each head bobbing like a lure in the water.

Batman gave a grunt that stated his acknowledgment and the team marched up to the Zeta Beams.

Though M'gann had long since promised not to wander into the minds of her teammates without their lucid consent, she could hardly ignore the variety of emotions that escaped them as though they were tangible, physical and real. She had been absent from the presence of this kind of environment for a week or so, and so saying it made the feelings of her teammates stand out even more. Robin's was the most potent, his hard set determination striking her at first, and she was aware that the years of fighting side by side with Wally had left the two nearly as close as brothers, only blood denying them the bond. However, Kaldur's own feelings were not far behind. He too was determined, and power surged through him, but in a slightly different form than Robin's. His was fueled by guilt, as though he'd let someone down. He was viewing this situation as a leader. A leader who had failed. M'gann immediately wanted to assure the Atlantian that the fault was not his, even though she hadn't been witness to the event, but she refrained from doing so for fear her teammates would be hurt that she would be sensing out there emotions. Then the emotions demanded her attention once more, becoming harder to ignore. Suddenly she was washed over by…confusion, though the feeling was not hers. That's when she became aware of the other emotions that seemed to be fused together in some elaborate tapestry-feelings of stubbornness, of worry, of willpower and something else indefinable, all centered around Wally, and all covered with a thin but noticeable layer of confusion. M'gann glanced at Conner, but immediately knew the feelings were not his. From him gentle anger and frustration was mixed in with small bursts of friendship and something like worry for the speedster. If it wasn't Superboy, who was it? That's when she flicked her eyes at Artemis as the Zeta Beams began to cause them all to begin glowing a luminous yellow. The emotions were hers, which was surprising given how the two bickered. Then the emotions disappeared, following their owners out and away from the Mountain and instead to different towering structures of steel and glass instead of rock, Central City.

][][][][

Barry felt the need to move, the impulse to be running and searching instead of standing here, waiting. His arms were crossed impatiently and rightfully so considering the Fastest Man alive had been still for nearly five minutes. This feat was even more impressive when the fact that Wally was missing was factored in. However, this did not come without costs, and Barry's vast reserve of patience had dwindled, effectively evaporating into a shallow puddle in the heat of his rage. His anger had subsided, somewhat, though and instead of a high-strung temper Barry was sporting instead an impatient and aggravated streak.

Suddenly, or finally in the Flash's case, glowing outlines of five teens began to fade into existence. After a moment or two, the figures finalized and gained color, depth, and then lost the unearthly glow that had surrounded them. The Team now preoccupied the place of the shining forms, and instantly Barry could sense their worry, their faces masks of anxiousness-a lot like he would have pictured his own as looking if his cowl did not conceal his face.

The Team stood there for a moment, awkwardly, and the heroes briefly shared a look that communicated there worry and determination.

"Where do you want us to begin?" Kaldur asked after the fleeting moment had left, immediately letting his leadership instincts take control and form a plan.

"The North side of town is clean," Barry replied instantly, his muscles begginingt to vibrate at the thought of movement and searching, "This is the East side. It's just a big as the North side of town, so it shouldn't take too long to search it. But the South is a monster, and the-West is just as bad." Barry informed them, admittedly rather embarrassed and frustrated that he had once again stumbled over West. It was just a direction.

"What's the plan?" Robin asked, itching to start, and Barry completely understood. However, some part of him was still functioning in a level-headed state if only barely, and he knew he couldn't let the younger heroes rampage wildly around the town…Even if Barry had done so himself in the North.

"Okay, first things first-Miss Martian?" Barry asked towards the redheaded girl. Her head shot up instantly as she was bathed in a storm of Barry's emotions unintentionally. It was like being slammed with a wall of anger, impatience, and pain. How the elder speedster was not an incoherent mess of rage impressed the young Martian .

"Yes, Flash?" she asked, not wanting to let the man be aware that she had once again accidently soaked in feelings that were not hers to have.

"Can you do what J'onn can? Could you do a mental sweep for Kid Flash?" Barry asked, and M'gann bobbed her head up in down like a bobble head doll.

What Barry had asked for was hard, tedious, and sometimes even painful. It was a difficult thing to do, but the it was far and away one of the most effective strategies to finding a single person in a crowd.

"I can do it, but it might take me longer than my Uncle." She admitted sheepishly, trying to hide her worry away in her almost cheerful tone, but it was broken and the usual confidence did not shine through.

"Anything helps." Barry said firmly, and then the speedster whirled to the other members.

"Conner and Kaldur, I want you searching the rest of the East and then joining up with Robin and Artemis in the South. I'll take the West. Miss Martian, establish a mental link and keep us all posted. And remember, guys, keep in touch with where you are and what you find." Barry said, and he was proud of himself for being able to say it without a hint of his rampaging feelings bursting free of his carefully constructed cages.

Miss Martian nodded and her eyes glowed a soft ruby red before rising into the air. Barry winced along with the others as a bridge suddenly connected his mind with Robin, Superboy, Aqualad, Artemis, and Miss Martian. It was strange even after all the times J'onn had done the same, all the voices that thought quietly inside your skull and knowing those voices and thoughts weren't yours.

"_Keep your traught, people._" Robin thought at everyone and then he and Artemis ducked out and away towards the South, a whirl of blonde hair and dark capes.

][][][][

Wally swallowed hard even though his throat remained dry, which he thought was unfair because of how sweaty his hands where. But this thought was quickly displaced and forgotten, crumbling in the face of much bigger problems. Like the nutcase with grisly facial expressions and an ice ray standing over him, for example. Cold's face was close to his, so close that Wally could smell the man's disgusting breath and the faint whiff of aftershave, even though the guy's chin still maintained a little yard of stubble.

"Umm, my what?" Wally asked nervously, trying to fidget around in his chair, which was insanely ineffective when one was duct taped to said chair.

Captain Cold gave a small growl, but the tips of his lips turned upwards and he said in a sort of placid way, "Your name." the tone disappearing in a rumble nearer to the end, communicating the man's lack of amusement. The man leaned forward in a slow but threatening way, and Wally tried to lean back, digging his head uncomfortably into the back of the chair.

"Oh, my _name._" Wally said with an anxious chuckle, "Just checking."

Cold waited expectantly, his beady eyes boring into Wally's skin.

"Ironically, my name really is Kid Flash." Wally said finally. Cold failed to look amused, his face serious and dead-pan.

"Is that so?" the man asked, his voice fierce. He turned to Trickster frowning, "This little brat's parents must have hated him."

Wally thought of his father and flinched but said nothing.

Trickster laughed, "I don't think he's being serious, Cold." The Trickster suggested.

"Oh, but he wouldn't _lie._ Not in a situation such as this," Cold began, fastening his eyes on Wally harshly, "He would never lie when you have all you're wonderful toys to share."

Trickster glanced down at his Vomit gun and smiled.

"I'm thinking that's exactly what he's doing." Trickster inserted, "Do I get to try it out? Huh? Oh! Or maybe he could try out my PopRocks!" Trickster exclaimed, digging into his pockets and pulling out a small package of regular looking PopRocks, save for one thing-the Trickster's face smiling crazily on the package, "It's an _explosion_ in every bite!" Trickster laughed madly, dangling the package playfully before shoving it back into his pants pocket.

Cold nodded at Wally, "What do you say, Honest Abe?" the man chuckled, "Are you hungry?"

Wally's was hungry, but his eyes widened, a horrible feeling he knew that the 'explosion' the Trickster had spoken of had nothing to do with flavor.

"Wait!" Wally said a little too loudly in a raw surge of panic before he managed to calm down slightly, "I, um, may not have been totally honest…" the redhead managed.

"You don't say?" Cold said, "Tell you what, we'll give you one last chance, okay?" Cold decided, "But lying is something that needs to be punished.

Wally's momentary relief vanished, but before he could say anything else, a painfully powerful fist collided with his chest and he was jolted backwards. The legs of the chair swung out from beneath the teen, and it clattered to the ground. Wally's head smacked against the wooden headrest with unbelievable force, and the world spun.

"…Ow…" he whimpered, and then the feeling of movement surrounded him as the chair was picked up and sat up right.

Just as he got his bearings back, a firm hand patted him ruthlessly against his back, though the 'patting' was just a forceful as a hit, and probably more accurately described as one.

"Come on, Kid, it wasn't that bad." Cold said, walking back in front of Wally. The world stopped spinning reluctantly, and Wally suppressed the need to hurl. He stared up at the two men with all the hatred a fifteen year old can muster, his blazing green eyes hard and his jaw set.

For a moment Wally was mad with himself. If he could remember being the hero these guys thought he was, then he could get out of this. It was frustrating, he knew he had all this power but for the life of him, quite literally, he couldn't remember how to use it. But the anger quickly shifted back to the two men, not knowing quite where to go and simply deciding to hit everything.

"Oh look," Cold said mockingly to Trickster, "I think we hurt mini-Flash's feelings. And that's too bad," Cold said, "Because I have a feeling they're not the only things about to get hurt."

Wally frowned, getting tired of the threatening comments and disappointed with himself that they still sent a trickle of fear down his spine.

"Now, Kid," the Captain state gruffly, "I'm starting to lose my patience. What is your name?"

When Wally remained silent, Cold's eyes turned into burning balls of flaming ice, his slush colored eyes blazing.

Wally braced himself, but instead of the air whizzing past him as he hit the floor, only a harsh smack whipped itself across his face.

He blinked open his eyes, feeling a burning sensation starting to redden his check, just in time to see cold whirl around to Trickster.

"Obviously," the villain said hatefully, his voice gruff, "This kid wants to play games. Trickster, this is your department."

Wally watched in silent horror as Trickster took Cold's place in front of him.

"I guess this means…Cat Vomit?" Wally asked hoarsely.

"I'm not allowed to use the Vomit Gun yet," trickster said disappointedly but then his eyes brightened, "But Cold said I'm allowed to use some of the nonlethal gags on you."

Wally relaxed at the word 'nonlethal', but he was still on edge. He wasn't completely certain this guy was sane. Cold was evil and radical, but at least he was sane. This man was just a child trapped in an adult's body, and Wally would be the first to bet that this guy had some major need for counseling.

"Oh." Wally said nervously, and once again he tested his restraints only to find them just as strong as the last time.

"Yeah." Trickster agreed, and from somewhere else in his suit the man pulled out a rubber chicken.

Wally was transfixed, and for a second or two he began to wonder where the guy kept it all, all of the gadgets and knick knacks in the suit. But that moment was short lived as the purple and yellow streaked haired man bent over carefully and squeezed the chicken's belly, causing a sickly yellow powder to coat Wally face.

At first, Wally couldn't notice anything, even though his heart was pounding. However it didn't stay that way for long, and soon Wally's face began to burn as it became extremely itchy. His hands immediately tried to propel themselves upwards to his face, but they were stopped by the restraints that kept them behind the chair and far away from being any use. At this realization Wally cried out, his face seeming to itch more and more. It was nearly unbearable, and he writhed in his seat.

"What is this?" Wally cried, his body jolting as it tried to reach his burning facial features in vain.

Trickster laughed, holding up the chicken, "Itching powder, like Chicken Pox? Get it? Itching powder inside the Chicken?" Then the man laughed again, and Wally began to bit at his bottom lip, his teeth clawing at the skin in a pathetic attempt to scratch at something, even if the best he could reach was the very tip of his chin. But if didn't work well, and soon scratching at the minimal area began to hurt nearly as bad as the itching.

His eyes watered as he quit, and the itching continued. He wanted to tear at his skin, rip his nails into it and stop the fiery storm of torturous prickles that had invaded his face. In all honesty, having his face ripped to shreds almost sounded good at this point. Any form of scratching away at the irritating tingling that had trespassed onto him sounded like a luxury.

"Please! Please! Wash it off!" Wally bellowed, rocking his chair back and forth wildly, "It's killing me!"

He felt ridiculous, but the itching was maddening. It was like that one spot you could never get on your back, but all over his face and much, much worse.

"Sure, Kid." Cold said calmly, even as he watched the teen squirm, "Just tell me your name. I have a bucket of water right here."

"Wally! Wally! Wally! My name's Wally!"

Instantly a wall of water smacked against his face, hitting him like a brick. But he didn't care because despite its wintery cold, the water was welcomed as it washed down the bridge of his nose, taking with it the remains of the itch, the unholy crawl that had plagued him.

"There," he heard as he blinked open his water-filled eyes, "That wasn't so hard, now was it, Wally?" Cold asked sadistically.

][][][][

Author's Mailbag:

Author's Note: Whoa…3,192 words, not including replies. This is officially the longest chapter I've ever written.

JanelleL: Wow! You're welcome! I'm glad he was so well received. Now, I don't know if I can fit the Piper in or not, but I don't think I'll be able to. I think these to nutjobs will have to do. Aw well, still a handful. But If I CAN fit the Piper into this, I'd like to just because of the relationship you described. Wow, you thanked me for being born…Well, did that just make my day? :D

KaliAnn: The link showed and I'll look into right after I post this. Thanks!

Scarlet Mist: Brilliant planning! LOL! Good work!

Kf-AxxMexx: Cold is so screwed. You know, if they find him.

GhostDog401: *laughs* Yeah, I promise! Okay, so yep…Poor Wally. And just as equally to the Flash.

TotallyLosingIt: Thanks! No really, that's one of the nicest compliments ever! I'm glad you liked that one line so much! And yeah, I kind of got a little dark with Cold. Sorry for the creepiness.

RowanFall: Number Seven! Woot! And yeah, it's very wird writing Barry like that, considering how easy going he normally is! Loved your family name thing you got going on! Who are you?

Litra: Why were you conflicted? And it's totally okay! I am glad you liked Barry's emotions!

Carf: Thanks! Glad I'm actually hitting suspense! ^-^

CK4Eva: High five! You totally are!

Carry99: I hope you liked it!

Bat-dove: Well, not Shaniqia…

Adoglover5: Yeah, I'd say he Flash is mad. And I totally agree. Wally's mouth will be the death of him *sigh*

Animecutie: Thanks! Nailed it!

DayDreamingOfYou: Thank you so much!


	13. Connections

Chapter 13: Connections

Robin grinded his teeth in frustration, the action displayed eerily while the timid glow of his wrist computer washed over his face. Artemis was next to the Boy Wonder, leaning against the rim of the roof that they happened to be preoccupying. Her hands were digging into the cement railing, her eyes watching the city like a hawk lying in wait for the smallest movements of tiniest mouse. However, the aggravated groan that fell from the little bird's mouth drew her attention away from the bustling city below and instead towards Robin. The ebony haired teen was still crouched over the screen, perched on his tilted feet like he just might take flight.

"I can't track him. He must not be wearing his communicator." Robin stated, running one last double check for Wally's frequency.

"He's not wearing his costume, so why would he be wearing his communicator?" Artemis asked in an obvious tone, whipping her pony tail back behind her shoulder. The stupid mane was making her feel claustrophobic.

Robin glared up at her, hating how oblivious he'd been. He was partner to the greatest detective the world had ever known, and he had over looked such a simple detail. He decided to begrudgingly blame the oversight on his rampaging nerves while he shut of his computer.

"He wouldn't." Robin admitted, standing up and joining Artemis to look down at the city below. The Flash hadn't lied. The South part of town was huge. Big buildings, lots of people, and millions of places to search. And no leads.

"So, he do we find him?" Artemis asked, "Is there anything else you can trace on that thing?" she asked, gesturing to the Boy Wonder's computer.

"Well, I could run a list for Cold's more commonly used hide outs, but I'm sure Batman has already done a thorough job of that. He would have told us if he had found anything." Robin explained.

Artemis chewed on her lip while frowning, "How are we supposed to find one idiot in a place like this?" Artemis demanded, spreading her arms wide to indicate the entire city beneath them.

"Well," Robin said shrugging, "At least we know placeswe _don't _have to look, the other hideouts."

"So that only leaves about…three million other places."

Robin gave her a wry smile, "Come on, where's the traught?" he asked slyly.

"Hiding with Wally." Artemis answered evenly.

Robin rolled his eyes, about to once again comment on how the term "secret identity" was self explanatory and should not have to be defined, when Kaldur's telepathic voice interrupted him.

"_Artemis, Robin. Superboy and I have concluded our search in the East. We did not, however, find Kid Flash. We are heading to the South side now. How much have you covered?" _Aqualad asked, and Artemis and Robin exchanged looks.

"_Um,"_ Artemis thought with embarrassment, "_Three blocks."_

"_But, we have successfully determined where he's not_," Robin inserted unhelpfully.

"_And how many locations have we eliminated?" _Aqualad asked.

"_Two."_ Robin answered, but his voice was far softer than it had previously been.

"_We finished the entire East side of town and you haven't made it past five blocks?"_ Conner asked, clearly unimpressed.

"_Uh, three blocks."_ Artemis corrected, but in retrospect she supposed allowing them have believe five would not have been too great a sin.

But thankfully M'gann stepped in.

"_Um, guys?"_ she said in a polite voice, "_I'm trying to find Wally, and it'd be a little easier if I weren't trying to pay attention to all of you."_ She said courteously, trying hard not to step on anyone's toes. But with thousands of people's minds constantly moving it was extremely difficult to listen to them all and try to pick out Wally's, especially with her team constantly communicating. She could understand the important messages, like "I found him" or "We're headed you're way" and things like that, but bickering over what was and wasn't done was just too stressful.

"_We understand, Miss Martian, keep going and let us know if you find anything." _The voice was Barry's, and soon the entire link dispersed, each link only humming quietly with personal thoughts that couldn't be helped.

Miss Martian sighed and glanced back over the city. She was in the direct middle of Central, floating just above the tallest building in a meditative position. She could clearly hear thousands of people thinking at once. It was just the same as being in a foot ball stadium at High School while she cheered, leading the roaring fans into frenzy of supportive cheers and verbal onslaughts of shouts-only worse because she was trying to pick out a single person. She supposed the Earthly expression would be "a needle in a haystack". And aside from the blast of noise below her, she was worried. She supposed she had never truly thought of anyone getting hurt in too much detail. After all, her boyfriend was nearly indestructible, her uncle was a Martian, and her teammates were all heroes, gifted with extraordinary abilities that they had been born with, gained, or earned through hard work. Granted, both Artemis and Robin were humans, but they had the drive and the heart of something much more. So of course she never thought of them being critically hurt. She never imagined them in a hospital wing, she never imagined them beaten and bloody and still. Previously, she had never been too overly concerned with the possibility of death, not really. But now, alone with her thoughts and everyone else's, she was worried. Having access to all these thoughts was troubling her mind.

She could hear the thoughts of greed, the feelings of aggression, and the emptiness of those with no pity from around the immense city. She could hear the longing for money, the desperation to be on top and to cut down all those who stood in the way. Above this city of thousands, she was now aware that some villains and monsters did not wear costumes or wave big guns. Some hid in plain sight and wore friendly smiles, concealing the knife that would soon be in your back.

It was at that moment Megan decided she would never live in a big city, and that it would be a very long time before she volunteered herself to perform a mind sweep.

Suddenly a shocking but fleeting itch tore down her cheek and she rubbed at it instinctively with her nails. She blinked confusedly and narrowed her eyes. It hadn't been her feeling, she realized. It was that of someone else's that she had subconsciously connected with briefly. Then her slimly opened eyes widened in the understanding that it must have been Wally. The connection was flickering, and she couldn't quiet place it, but she took a shot at it anyway.

"_Wally!"_ she began, but the connection was lost again because of her inability to concentrate with the thousands of minds all vying for her attention at once. However, instead of frustration, the Martian was overflowing with elation. If she had found him once, she could do it again.

][][][][

Wally blinked the freezing cold water out of his eyes, his sight blurry with the translucent droplets of water that clung helplessly to his lashes. His knew that his red hair had turned the shady color of mahogany, and that it was hanging in limp curls just above the brim of his eyes, though some hung lowly enough to make an appearance in his view. He suppressed the urge to shiver as the bitter water clawed done his back and soaked his shirt, making little rivers down his face and neck that stung with a bristling cold. He had never felt more ridiculous in his life. He knew he had just broken the biggest rule of being a hero, according to Dick-he had just blurted his real name out. And for no other reason than the feeble grounds of being itchy. Aw man, he was pathetic. He sighed loudly, and he could almost hear the sickening crunch of hitting rock bottom. Trying to console himself, he weakly reminded himself that not only was he an amnesiac, he had retained his last name, not shouting that out for the world to hear.

The water drained from his vision, and Wally saw a mostly clear Cold smirking at him sinisterly. Wally had a lot of conflicting feelings when it came to this guy, and none of them were good. He was kind of scared of the man, with his ruthless attitude and the gun that could back it up, but he was also getting angry. This man had defiled his favorite gas station, kidnapped him, tied him to a chair, and then tortured him for his name in the most unmanly way possible. At least when the heroes in the movies got tortured, it was in this impressive way, like being soaked in water and then electrocuted or something that involved an explosion, something they could explain and it would sound completely reasonable to divulge information. However, when _he _got kidnapped the best excuse he had was how _itchy _it was. Even he knew that sounded lame.

Cold had retreated out of the closet momentarily to hand Trickster an empty bucket, and now that the Captain was reentering the recently doused room, his boots made sloshing sounds as he walked and drawing Wally's attention back to the villain.

"Now, Wallly," Cold said smugly, purposely tacking in the speedster's name, "Don't think I've forgotten about your last name."

When the redhead stiffened, Cold laughed. It was a hoarse sound, unfamiliar in the guy's throat, a poor pathetic little laugh that belonged to a wheezing old car, not a man.

"Relax, Kid. I'll come back to that later. Right now, I've got bigger fish to fry." Cold growled, leaning in. That another thing that was driving Wally up the wall-how the guy leaned in. His face was bad enough far away, but up close where you could see each greasy pore and smell his morning breath? Wally supposed that it was like how animals widened themselves in an effort to make themselves appear more threatening, a lot larger and extra dangerous. But all this guy was succeeding in was giving Wally a massive migraine brought on by the sickly smell.

When Wally didn't comment on the Captain's ominous explanation, the crook's frown lines deepened like a rut, but his mouth only let go of a guttural hiss before he continued, "Bigger fish as in the Flash. I bet you know _his _secret identity as well, don't you Baby Flash?"

Wally's mouth was about to say something his body would later regret, but suddenly his head hurt. Really badly, like a wrecking ball had crashed through a wall around his mind. He couldn't remember feeling anything like this-ever.

"_Wally!_" A feminine voice cried out excitedly in his head, but then it was gone as quickly as it had gone, like a line was being severed.

Wally gasped for air as the pain receded, but he wasn't too focused on that right now. His eyes were round a globe and nearly as big as he glanced in every direction, searching madly for a girl that was sure to be there. But the room was empty, only Captain Cold in Trickster surrounding him. But that was impossible. Wally looked around one last time, but his eyes remained peeled and attentive, waiting to catch sight of this invisible person. Sure, it had sounded like she was in his head. But people didn't talk in your mind. That's when he stopped to wonder if he'd gone crazy. He bit into his cheek hard in frustration. He really hoped he wasn't crazy, because then he would be more than pathetic, he'd be a joke. Going crazy after a little roughing up and itching powder. What kind of superhero was he? Granted, he could actually _remember _being one, but he had been. Like, two days ago. What superhero became schizophrenic from _itching powder_?

Wally winced as whiplash of friction burned his skin, Cold's hand colliding with his face.

"Hey, I asked you a question." Cold growled, his teeth bearing a bit as he talked, and silently Wally patted himself on the back on the whole primal animal thing.

"Um…" the speedster trailed, trying to pull himself from the latest shock of having a voice in his head, "Uh, what?"

"The Flash's secret identity." Cold stated with a throaty, gnarled out voice. Patience had never, by any means, been something that the villain had held in great abundance. However, he found he had even less with Kid Flash, with _Wally_. He was also curious with what the brat had been looking for, why his clear green eyes had widened in wonder and terror, why they had flown around the room with an intensity that even he had almost felt inclined to look as well.

Wally's gaze hardened, his jaw set, and his muscles tensed with an irritation he didn't fully understand. This was crossing a line. If it was bad to reveal your _own _secret identity, it must be near a sin to disclose someone else's. Especially if they were family. He iron clamped his mouth closed, and made his face expressionless, letting only the most obvious slips of displeasure sweep across his features.

Cold recognized the boy's idiom, and he ground his teeth.

"Let's hear it, Kid." The villain growled, menacingly crossing his arms.

"_Wally, where are you? Are you okay?"_

Wally winced, his hands instinctually trying to grab at his head but unable to because of the duct tape. Oh man, was he going crazy?

"_Wally?"_

Wally bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut. Maybe if he replied to the voice, she'd go away. That was a pretty pathetic sentence.

"_Um…Am I doing this right? Whatever. Okay, yeah….Voice, I guess. I'm okay…" _ Wally thought awkwardly, and then opened his eyes and glanced around the room, "_Well, 'okay' is probably stretching it a bit…" _

"Hey, Kid, I asked you a question." Cold rumbled, peering down at the redhead threateningly from behind his protective eyewear.

"The Flash's identity?" Wally mumbled, and Cold nodded stiffly, as though unaccustomed to the motion.

"There you go. Now, what is it?"

"That's not how you said it worked." Wally retorted, a small fire reigniting inside himself. He made his voice sound confident, like he imagined it would be if he had superspeed and wasn't completely scared out of his mind.

Cold's eyes narrowed into thin slips of disdainful daggers that he threw at Wally.

"What are you talking about?" the gruff voice asked, and Wally plastered on a a brave face.

"You said if there wasn't a question I wanted to answer, I could skip it."

Cold looked genuinely surprised for a moment, his lips pointing down and sinking with a deep set of permanent frown lines that were emphasized by his incredibly square shaped jaw,

"You're right, Wally." He smirked, "I did say that. Trickster!"

The man looked up from his current resting place inside the living room, his head propped up tiredly against the sofa that had at one point been a creamy white.

"Baby Flash needs some encouragement. He doesn't want to answer a question."

Trickster got up from his seat and stretched. This was kind of getting boring to him. After all, being a villain wasn't nearly as fun when you weren't actually doing the villainous stuff. Especially when the hero was tied up. That really took some of the fun out of it. It was like playing tag when the 'It' person wasn't playing. Not only that, but he wasn't exactly comfortable with interrogating the kid. He hadn't realized how young Kid Flash was, and for some reason, without all of his gear, the redhead look so much younger. The bright red freckles and wide green eyes didn't do anything to stop this idea either.

"Hey," Trickster suggested in a friendly voice as he stretched, "What if we have him a freebie?"

Cold gave his the purple haired man a look, and as the two began discussing it, Wally's mind focused on other things. His thoughts were everywhere with his hyper-accelerated thinking, dashing back and forth to different ideas. However, they mostly landed on the girly voice that had whispered in his head.

][][][][

Author's Mailbag:

To ALL: I would have posted this sooner, had my teacher not decided that last week was the perfect week to randomly spring a huge assignment. Long story short, here's the chapter, my valid excuse, and a huge thank you to my wonderful readers/repliers. 190 comments-that's awesome you guys, thank you! I've never reached 200 before, and that's just be awesome, seriously. Not only that, but this storu has 41 faves and 72 alerts. That right there warmed my heart and just…Man, this was awesome. You people rock!

GhostDog401: Wally…You kind of did it. You know…like, there's toilet paper on your shoe, but at least you're pants are pulled up. XD

KF-AxxMexx: Sheesh, I know. *sighs* The disadvantages to being a telepath.

CK4eva: There will be…in a chapter or two from now…And yeah, Over protective Barry is just awesome.

Scarlet Mist: Itching Powder=Unconventional but effective.

KaliAnn: Maybe itching powder was a bit different, but I hate those spots you just can't reach, you know? So…I guess it just sort of came out… LOL, Wally probably hates me.

Irenerb: Thanks! I hope you liked this!

Rowanfall: Wow, thanks! And that's awesome! You're family sounds fun! And, thanks for liking that line! By-the-by, seven MUST be your lucky number, because this is maybe the fourth time you've gotten it! That's kind of weird, but it's awesome at the same time!

JanelleL: LOL! Thanks. That just seemed like something Cold would do, you know? And yay! I got Trickster's humor? Thank you for letting me know! And, hmm. I hadn't really wondered abot Robin's reaction in particular to the Trickster. But he probably does hold some harsh judgments about jester-like villains (not that I blame him). Wow, the air I breathe? Well, it's official-I feel pretty awesome right now! Thanks!

Asdf: Well, right now, Wally's kind of a mix between regular fifteen year old that was kidnapped (hence, the stupidity and somewhat week will he had going on) and superhero personality that he doesn't fully understand (short bursts of common sense and bravery)

Carry99: Hmm…I don't know. *insert amazing knowing smile*

Animecutie610: How about this one…MWAH-Ha-HA-ha-HA-*cough* Oops… X)

Bat-dove: Now that, I would pay to see.

Adoglover: Ooh! I hope your heads okay! LOL! Sorry I made you itchy. If it helps, I was itchy writing it Haha! And, whoo! Evil laugh! And I agree. Cold, be afraid. Be very afraid!


	14. Found

Chapter 14: Found

Megan smiled with elation before reluctantly being pulled out of Wally's head once again by the sheer force of the thousands of other minds that called out to her. But this time she felt confident enough in her abilities to not be completely overshadowed by frustration. She opened her auburn eyes, though at the moment they glowed a muted green that sparkled luminously with the yellow sun. Even though she was unbelievably thrilled with her find, a few things struck her painfully. She could faintly feel Wally's emotions, and 'fine' was not the appropriate adjective for his current state. No, he wasn't dying, and for that she was grateful, but he wasn't in the best shape. His response had been unsteady, and his mind had recoiled from her touch. Without his memories, it felt to her like a piece of him was missing. It was the strangest thing-he was himself, but he was also a different person. He was Wally because he thought like Wally, he talked like Wally, and he _felt_ like Wally. But he was off-scared, confused, nervous…Not one descriptive from that list should have been used to describe the normally easy-going and confident speedster. However, in light of the situation, Megan pushed the thoughts away into the back of her mind to be addressed later. She raised her olive toned hands to her forehead, mentally feeling out the numerous bridges that linked her mind to her teammates.

][][][][

Barry was in one the seedier parts of Central. The areas they depicted in movies-dark, narrow allies that beckoned you to be swallowed up by shadow, trash and broken bottles littering the street, and shoes hanging forlornly from telephone wires. However, in Central City, even the shadier parts of town were a little better kempt than they would be in, say, Gotham. It still had thin alley ways, but litter wasn't decorating a large area of the street and the roads had been very recently paved. In fact, the only clue that this _was _a place frequented by the more unruly sort was the side entrance to a bar. This small hole-in-the-wall establishment was rather run-down, and you could smell the distinct whiff of alcohol just outside the door. Its old fashioned architecture revealed its long standing, and the cracked side walk told the story of many, many footsteps. But it wasn't the store itself that had Barry's anger spiking with suspicion-it was the cliental. For some reason that can't be very well understood, this no name bar had long attracted the attention of almost every villain in Central City. He happened to know that Cold and the other more notorious Rogues paid this little bar a visit nearly once a day, especially if an attempted robbery hadn't panned out quite right. They liked to get together and talk, plan, and brag.

The Flash scowled before planting a very serious expression on his face. Then he pushed the door open, with a tad more aggression than he had been aiming for. As the door gasped its screeching whine while it was forced open, everyone in the room turned to face the latest patron to grace the worn store.

The bar became still instantly. About thirty or so heads ducked instantly, trying to quietly go unnoticed by the hero that had invited himself into the dimmed sanctuary.

Barry ignored them and tossed his resentful gaze around the room, his anger rekindled in the sight of the likes who had taken his nephew. Dirty floors, pool tables, slumping bodies, and alcohol that made his nose crinkle-none of it mixing well with his already dwindled patience.

The costumers of the bar had remained silent, none daring to move as they sensed the unusual venom that seemed to position the Flash in a more threatening stance. His head turned from side to side, and then he settled his gaze on a man at the end of the bar, who was purposefully averting his eyes.

In the next second, Barry was leaning over the man's shoulder, his eyes narrowed from behind his crimson cowl. The sounds of desperate feet leaving the bar surrounded the two before only Heat Wave, Flash, and a very nervous bar tender were left in the now nearly vacant building.

"Heat Wave." Flash growled, crossing his arms, "Where's Captain Cold?"

The man shifted nervously, wishing he had brought extra lighter fluid for his flame thrower, and then turned to face the speedster, his bar stool squeaking as he did so. The villain readied his voice, steadying so it would project far clearer and portray a confidence he did not have.

"Flash," the man greeted tightening his hold on his glass; slightly embarrassed to have gone with a soy decaf latte with whipped cream instead of the beer he'd been offered.

"Where's Cold?" Flash asked again, his voice hard.

Heat Wave shifted, a tight smile on his face, "I don't know."

Barry tightened his fist, his face suddenly stone, "You were here with him two days ago."

Heat Wave shrugged, the Rogue's face suddenly resentful, "He told me he was going to rob a gas station, okay? Now, I know the stealing business has been slow, but reduced to such petty crime is just pathetic." The man explained with disgust, muttering under his breath, "A _gas station_."

Barry frowned, which looked unnatural, and his nostrils flared, "Where does he usually go after a robbery if it's not here?"

The man frowned, "He's got so many hideouts that it's ridiculous. Besides, why should I tell you?"

Silence. The kind of still in which you can feel rather than hear the tension. The man swore that if he weren't being crushed by the pressure that seemingly held him still, he could have reached out and broken a tangible wall of tension. Seconds ticked by. Long periods of time that far exceeded the actual measurements. Surely it had been longer than the clock would have lead anyone to believe, because Heat Wave could have sworn he had been under the intense gaze for years.

Barry crossed his arms, slowly and deliberately as he broke the utter still, "Because if you don't, I'm going to show you what it feels like to have a fist come at your face at two hundred miles an hour." He said plainly, not revealing any of his rampaging anger through.

Heat Wave looked surprise. It wasn't like the Flash to threaten, and it took the crook by shock to find the underlying anger that hid in the speedster's words.

Suddenly the Flash stopped, seemingly concentrating on something else, cocking his head and listening to something that the villain couldn't hear. The crook took this moment of reprieve to dismount from his seat and slip away and out of the bar.

Barry noticed Heat Wave take his leave, but he could feel Miss Martian talking in his head.

"_Flash?" _she asked respectfully, and he sensed she had caught a whiff of his rage. He took a deep breath of frustration and mild concentration, calming his emotions that were coiled up tightly like a spring ready to snap.

"_Miss Martian," _he greeted, "_Have you or the others found anything?" _he asked hopefully.

"_I made telepathic contact with Kid Flash about a minute ago. He's okay." _She said quickly.

Barry's eyeswidened.

"_Where is he?" _Barry said loudly, and Megan flinched at how loud it had been broadcasted in her mind.

"_He didn't say…He was debating whether or not he had schizophrenia."_

Barry paused in disappointment, "_Could you sense where he was?"_

"_He seems to be on in either the South or West part of town…but more likely he's somewhere in the south…" _she said.

Barry nodded, "_Keep looking. In the meantime, alert the rest of Young Justice. And tell mini-Bats to run a search any for irregular temperature fluctuations in the West and South part of town on his computer gauntlet. Also, have Superboy keep an ear out for Kid as well." _Barry instructed, and then added with a tight smile, "_Good work."_

And then the Bartender blinked to find no superhero occupying his small establishment. He smiled weakly in relief before stumbling over to the front door and turning his door sign around.

_Sorry, We're Closed_

][][][][

"_Wally?"_

Wally blinked, listening to the whispering frustrated voices of Trickster and Cold that came from behind the closet door. Cold had shut it.

Wally had always been claustrophobic, and now he was a tight space. A very small space. A very, very closed in space with no lights. The air seemed thin, the walls seemed to get closer. He couldn't see them because the closet lights were off-but he could feel them closing in around him, he could feel them getting closer and closer. He just _knew _that soon they would be pressing down on him. They would be smashing him, trapping him. It was so hard to breath. So hard. And now, to make it all worse-the voice was back. The feminine voice that he didn't know was in his head again. He was trapped and alone-and now he was going to go crazy.

"_Wally, are you alright?" _the voice asked, sounding worried. Megan could pick up his anxiety.

"Who _are _you?" Wally asked in a small whisper, "Where _are _you?"

Megan could feel him answering, his words disjointed as he spoke them instead of clearly thinking them.

"_It's me, Miss Martian. We're teammates. I'm floating above Central City." _She began to say, but she was cut off by an anxious thought.

"_Am I crazy?"_ Wally asked, his voice tight.

"_No, you're not." _Megan assured quickly.

Wally gasped. How had the voice answered? He hadn't talked to it!

"I must be crazy, because if I were crazy, any voice I talked to would tell me I wasn't crazy." He muttered worriedly, testing his restraints once again, his thoughts scattered as he tried to ignore the confining space. It was so small. The walls. They were too close together. Way to close.

"_Wally, calm down!" _The Martian instructed, picking up on the spike of intense emotion, "_We can help you. Just tell us where you are."_

"I'm in a closet. A tiny, tiny, tiny closet. Oh, geez." He breathed, feeling panic rise up inside of himself.

Megan felt it too, and she shuddered as the feeling became her own. Wally was claustrophobic. And he was trapped in a closet. He must have been restrained as well, because he didn't simply leave. She mentally tried to piece together what was happening.

Wally gasped, starting to rock his chair back and forth. If only he could get out. He _needed_ to get out. Now. Now. Now.

"Hey!" he shouted, "Hey!" He rocked back and forth harder as he yelled, then felt the legs of the chair slip out from beneath him, sending a rush of air to take away his breath. He fell backwards, feeling the wooden back of the chair slam harshly in the drywall behind him. His head pounded, but all he could process at that point was just how small the space was.

The door opened instantly, two villains peeing in to investigate, not that Wally could see. His head was stuck facing the ceiling of the empty closet, simply thankful that light was now pouring into the room. But man, it was still such a small space. But the door was open. The door was open. He sighed deeply, the air returning to normal and his breaths becoming fuller, more meaningful.

"Whoa. The chair's going _into _the wall." Trickster observed in a slightly awed voice, but was pushed aside by Cold. The man shoved Trickster out of the way, then reached his thick gloved hands into the closet and grabbing the chair's upturned legs. Wally felt his chair shift, and then his vision blurred as he quickly went from a view of a dim ceiling to the less appealing sight of an angry Captain Cold. The man didn't look to happy, his grizzled lips screwed up into an unlikable frown that twisted his features into an ugly mess, and his eyes were narrowed from behind his protective goggles.

"_Through_ the wall?" He growled angrily.

Wally bit his lip, still slightly relieved that the door open and trying not to smile with respite. Cold eyed the damage with gritted teeth, and then turned on the teen.

"Did you honestly think that would _help _you?" he asked.

"Um, no, I mean-it wasn't, you know-I just…" Wally flustered out before quietly saying, "Small space."

Wally mentally kicked himself as soon as the words left his lips. This was the basic stuff in, like, _every _single comic _ever_. You didn't reveal weaknesses! That was directly after secret identities. If there was a Superhero Rule Book, that was probably rule number two. He watched wordlessly as Cold's eyes widened.

"Claustophobic?" he guessed, and Wally shook his head quickly.

"What? No." He pasted on a fake half smile, "What, are you serious? Nah." He said confidently.

"_Wally? What's going on?"_ the girly voice, umm, Miss Whoever chimed in.

"Be quiet!" Wally whispered sternly, his green eyes a mixture of surprise and worry.

Cold looked confused, "Did you just tell me to be quite?" the villain asked in a low throaty voice.

Kid's head shot up like a bullet.

"No." he said quickly.

"Really? 'Cause that's what it sounded like."

Just at that moment, Wally's stomach rumbled painfully, eliciting a quiet moan that impulsively escaped him. He smiled directly afterward.

"That's what I was talking to." He said swiftly , glancing down at his stomach.

Trickster made a face. Baby Flash's stomach sounded like a motor.

"Maybe we should get him something to eat?" The Rogue asked hesitantly, peering in at Wally. The kid didn't look to good. His forehead was slick from sweat like he'd been panicking, and his face was pale white like he'd been listening to ghosts. He also shivered occasionally from his still-wet clothes, the water obviously not yet dried.

"You want to feed this brat?" Cold asked, gesturing towards the kid.

"Well-he's not looking to good." Trickster said carefully, flicking a gaze at Wally.

"_Wally? Wally, think the answer to me, like you did the first time, remember? Now, where are you? Just think it, okay?"_ the girly voice was back again.

Wally swallowed hard.

"_Umm…this thing on?" _he asked. He was crazy. Absolutely insane. He had bigger things to worry about. Not the voice in his head.

"_Good-just like that!" _he heard in his mind, the feminine voice giving him instant praise, "_Now-where are you?"_

"_I have no idea."_

"_We'll get back to that in a minute-how are you?"_

"_I'm good…Just hungry, cold, and stuck with two supervillains." _Wally replied, feeling like he'd hit an all time low. He was tied to a chair, conversing with the voice his head. He was crazy.

"_Wait-Two?" _ Miss Martian asked-she'd only been aware of Cold, "_Which ones?"_

"Captain Cold and Trickster." Wally replied out loud accidentally, forgetting to turn his answers into thoughts. He looked up impulsively to greet the two heads that shot to stare at him.

"You have something to say, Kid?" Cold asked.

"Uh…Well…" Wally stammered, "Um…Am I at least allowed to know where I am?" he asked.

The question gave the crooks pause.

"What for?" Cold asked.

"Well…peace of mind?" Wally asked. Well, he wasn't really lying, was he?

"I don't think it could hurt." Trickster murmured. When Cold flashed him a look, the man shrugged his shoulders, "I just don't see how it could. I mean, he's not wearing a communicator."

"No." Cold growled. Then he turned to Wally, "Now, you're not the one asking questions here. I am. Me." He snarled, grabbing wither side of Wally's head rest, "_Now_, you're going to tell me exactly who the Flash is by the time I count to three." So saying, he pulled out his ice gun, and shoved it stiffly against Wally's forehead.

"One…" he threatened.

Trickster shifted uncomfortably, "You're just kidding, right?" he asked the other Rogue, looking at Wally's widened eyes.

"Two…" Cold said gruffly, one finger dancing on the trigger, and then he flicked his eyes at the Trickster, "I'm not kidding."

"What about the rule? It's _your _rule!" Trickster gasped.

Cold grinded his teeth, not answering.

"One last shot, Wally." Cold ripped out, "Two and a half…"

Wally's cheeks burned with embarrassment as a small stream of tears bubbled out. He couldn't speak now if he wanted to, his jaw was trembling so much. All he could register was the cool of the barrel pressing unforgiving against his forehead.

"Three." Cold dead panned.

And the room was filled with the sound a Rogue's gun firing.

][][][][

Author's Mailbag:

TO ALL: I feel so evil. And not for this chapter. Sorry for updating so late. For the life of me, this was just so hard to write. Sorry. On a happy note, I received twenty two reviews for the last chapter, so I'm feeling pretty good right now! Thank you, my wonderful readers! I'll reply to them later though, as I don't have much time right at the moment! I'll try to PMs tomorrow, or atleast update this chapter! Thank you once again, and I hope you enjoyed it!


	15. Almost

Chapter 15:

His eyes were squeezed tightly shut, and he was waiting. He was waiting to never move again. He was waiting to be so cold it burned like the hottest fire. He was waiting in unbelievable pain as his thoughts circled solely on the thoughts of a hypothermic death. His skin would turn a brittle blue, his lips would turn the color of wet navy, and the world would be dark. Wally bit harder into his lip. This was taking forever. Not that he minded warmth and life, but this was unbearable. Waiting. Waiting in a world that moved much slower than it was supposed to. Waiting for death that wouldn't come.

Then he heard it. The roar of a gun. In that split second, he cried out, his eyes shooting open as he flinched, a morbid and selfish curiosity that made him want to retain the very last moments of his life. He was prepared for anything-to see the tell-tale glow of the ice gun, to see his life flash before his eyes, to finally be witness to a life he couldn't remember, Cold's sneering face-anything. Anything except what he saw.

With his senses on high alert, his whole world was moving slowly-so he watched, stunned, as a green liquid blob slowly crawled through the air. The green goo danced for a minute more, enjoying its suspended flight, before it continued on to collide against Cold's bright blue ray. The liquid wrapped quickly around the gun, enveloping it in a bear hug. Then the goo settled and a sizzling hiss sprang to life, the barrel of the Captain's gun melting sadly and landing forlornly in a puddle on the ground. The liquid silently fizzled before it quieted down like a kicked puppy, now a silent puddle of mostly green and blue swirls that bubbled every now and again. A nearly lifeless puddle of colors-yet another stain on the sickly orange carpet beneath them.

As Wally's stomach rumbled pathetically, he instantly was reminded of his hunger and the world slowed to a normal speed. He blinked. It always took him a minute to realize that what had just happened had not taken place in the minutes it had felt like, but in the milliseconds it had actually been.

Cold's finger landed all the way down on the trigger, but he frowned as he noticed no power building up in his hands-no chill was signaling his weapon's creation. He glanced down at the dead puddle in amazement. Then his awed face turned into mild rage as his eyes shot a stern look at Wally. However, when his questioning glances landed on the Trickster, pure anger came ablaze in his slush colored eyes.

The Trickster was just now shoving his cat shaped gun in one of his oversized pockets, depositing his vomit gun for later usage. His face looked confused on whether or not to look proud or down-right terrified, so the end result was a strange mixture of the two. Once he had finished packing away his gun, his big innocent eyes flashed a sheepish look at Cold, who matched the man's look with a much steelier gaze.

Cold looked furious, but his voice was a deadly kind of steady when he spoke. A quite warning sound that silently suggested the terrible storm brewing beneath the surface that just wanted to get out.

"Trickster," he hissed mildly, "Would you care to explain that action?"

Trickster shrugged like a scolded child, finding a sudden interest in the various stains on the floor-specifically the blue and green one that was currently eating away small bits of carpet.

"Rogues don't kill. It's the rule." Trickster muttered, "And, this is just a kid." He said, gaining confidence as he gestured towards Wally. The redhead breathed in deeply, shooting a look of thanks at the cheerful colored man with purple and yellow hair.

Cold glanced at the young speedster before turning his attention back to the renegade Rogue.

"You're right-he's a kid alright, a Kid Flash. This little punk and the Flash have been shutting us down for years. He's got info we want, and need, and can take."

"How can we take it if he's dead?" Trickster asked, crossing his arms questioningly.

Cold growled to himself, muttering something that Wally assumed was a string of vile curse words. The man continued for a good, solid, minute. Wally heard his name thrown in, and the Trickster's name-both name's thrown in multiple times in-between other, far more offensive, words. Finally the words seemed to run out and Cold took a deep breath. The whole room waited, breath held, as the Captain looked up. His eyes were narrowed at Trickster from beneath the protective goggles. He glared a while more, and then his grizzly voice leaked into the room, eyes directed at Trickster.

"Get out."

Trickster looked startled, his face faltering.

"Huh?" he asked, his big puppy-dog eyes looking wide and hurt.

"Get out." Cold stated again, pointing towards the door.

"But-" Trickster began, but Cold raised his hand.

"Get out now, or you're out of the Rogues. Obviously, you can't handle the big stuff."

"I can handle it! I can! You just-you were breaking the Rule!" Trickster whined, pointing accusingly at Cold.

"I won't. Just get out, Trickster." Cold ordered, once again pointing towards the old wooden door.

Trickster's face became enraged, "Well fine! You can't tell me to get out, because I'm _leaving_!" the man said furiously, marching towards the door.

From the closet, Wally could just make out the swish of a yellow and black cape sway quickly out of the room. His only defender had left, and probably wouldn't be returning any time soon. An icy hand pierced Wally as he realized that this meant he would be trapped with Captain Cold, alone.

"So, Kid," Cold said as soon as the door slammed shut and he turned to look at Wally, "I've still got some questions for you. And I'm not in a very good mood right now-so I'm not going to take a lot of crap."

][][][][

"_Robin, have you run a search for any temperature fluctuations?" _Miss Martain asked in her mind. She was lowering herself from the air, a few feet above the street.

"_Just finishing up-nothing unnatural in the North or East. I'm just starting with the South and the West." _ Robin answered, his face illuminated by the faint blue lights of his personal computer. Just behind him, Artemis watched as a little icon of Robin's face turned red on the North side of town, another appearing red on the East. With mild interest she watched another red face appear on the East.

"You're so egotistical." Artemis quipped, referring to the Robin shaped icons.

"You're just jealous." Robin replied wryly, and a green Robin appeared on the West side of town, smiling wickedly.

"_Temperature changes were most commonly spotted in the West." _Robin said telepathically.

"_So, Kid Idiot and Captain Ice Cube are in the West?" _Artemis asked.

"_That may not be the case," _Aqualad's voice contemplated.

"_That's what I'm thinking." _Robin agreed, "_The gas station he robbed was in the West, right? So that would have to be where he caught KF and where the higher amounts of temperature changes would be."_

"_Great." _Conner said grumpily, "_So he can be anywhere."_

"_No," _Artemis said, "_You guys just finished checking the East, and I'm guessing the Flash pretty much tore up the North. We've got half of the South down, and you're working on the other. The Flash is headed here, and he got the North West done. So, Wally's in the South West part of town, where West and the South meet!"_

"Excellent deduction skills." Robin joked beside her, and she elbowed his rib cage accordingly.

"_So how do you want to handle this?" _Kaldur asked, his mind reaching out to Barry's.

"_I'm going to go in and do a search of the area." _Flash said after a millisecond of thinking, "_When I find him, I'll call you in."_

"_We'll be on stand-by." _Kaldur promised, and then began referring to his Team, "_Did you hear all of that?" _he asked.

The entire team responded with varying forms of "Yes."

"_Good. We will all meet so that we can be deployed as a single unit."_

"_Over and out." _Robin inserted before the links quieted.

][][][][

Barry's feet pounded against the ground as he tore into the edge of the West and South side. The buildings here were tall, but not in the way that modernized skyscrapers were. They were tall because they were brick apartments and needed to squeeze a lot of people and rooms into a tiny amount land. This was the older area of Central, back from when it had just been growing. A majority of the apartment complexes here were condemned, only a few still being able to actually function and even fewer actually being used. Mostly, Barry had thought this area was used for storage, and that wasn't too ill-conceived because many storage buildings were built near the ancient apartments.

The Flash bit his lip. He hated the idea of Wally being in one of the condemned buildings and he absolutely didn't like the idea of Wally in a storage unit. It made his blood boil to consider the fact that Wally was probably being restrained as well. His eyes narrowed, his usually content face the picture of righteous anger. He decided that at that moment, he was going to freeze Cold with his own gun.

Barry sped up, running through the storage units first. These would be the easiest, as Cold couldn't lock them from the outside and still be inside as well, meaning the doors would have to be wide open if he were occupying the place. Flash turned a tight corner, already having checked three rows or so of storage units.

"Come on…Come on…" he muttered, running quickly, even for him, as he passed yet another line. He was so close, and he didn't want to wait.

That was his thought as he collided with a person, sending them both tumbling to the ground.

Barry grimaced as he hit the concrete, feeling his suit rip across his shoulder. As soon as his skidding body came to a stop, he pushed himself up. His bleeding cut was already healing, and his blaring headache was dispersing rapidly. After he balanced himself correctly, he remembered what had caused his fall and his eyes widened with worry. He glanced around until farther back he noticed a body slightly shifting, the afternoon evening shadows covering the person like a blanket.

"I'm so sorry," Flash began, and he superspeeded over to the wriggling body as the man tried to correct himself, "Oh geez, Sir, I'm so-"

Flash knelt down and helped the man to his feet, and then gasped, "Trickster?" Flash gasped, letting go of the purple and yellow haired man, causing him to tumble back down to the ground.

"Ow…" Trickster murmured, picking himself up with one hand and gingerly rubbing his hand with the other, "That really hurt, Flash."

"Trickster?" Flash asked again, and then he remembered Miss Martian mentioning two villains holding Wally, Trickster being the other beside cold. Barry grabbed the shoulders of the Trickster's outfit.

"Listen, James," Flash growled, but lightly. It was to yell at James…despite his criminal record, when it came down to it, James was just a nice guy who wasn't entirely well, "What are you doing here? Where's Cold?"

Trickster crossed his arms, one sleeve polka-dotted and the other striped. His face got a pouty expression and he shrugged his shoulders haughtily, though Flash kept his grip.

"Captain Cold?" he said disgustedly, "Telling me I'm not a Rogue…And for what? Following rules, I followed rules. Rule of the Rogues, and he tells me I'm not a Rogue?" Trickster began mumbling crossly.

"Ja-Trickster," Flash said sternly, drawing the man's attention back to the situation at hand.

"Where's Cold?" Flash asked again, letting go of the Trickster, sensing the Rogue wasn't going to bolt.

"Why?" Trickster asked, suddenly guarding, "You looking for Baby Flash?"

"You've seen him?" Barry asked, relief in his face.

"Yeah, yeah-I've seen him." Trickster murmured, his face suddenly in awe, "That was the most freckles I've seen on a face since I don't know when."

Barry narrowed his eyes, though that was lost on the crook because of his cowl.

"Yeah. Now, James, I don't want to ask again. Where's Cold?"Flash asked firmly.

"He just told me to go! I melted his freeze ray. But he was going to break the Rule! And he gets mad at _me?_ He shoulda been thanking me, you know?"

"Where are they?" Flash asked, getting irritated. Getting information was hard with James-the man was easily distracted.

"Why should I tell you?" Trickster asked, uncrossing his arms, his eyes bright with curiosity.

"Because, if you tell me, I promise I'll visit you in the hospital, okay?" Flash bargained, and the Trickster's face lit up.

"Really?" Trickster asked, "Okay. His base in underneath one of the condemned apartment buildings. He set it up underneath the basement, isn't that cool? He has it set up just like a little room, too." The man said brightly.

Flash smiled, patting James on the back, "Thanks, man." He told the Trickster.

"Yeah." Trickkter nodded.

"Okay, listen, bud. I'm gonna send some of my friends down to arrest you, okay? They're Kid Flash's friends." Flash said friendlily.

"Yeah, I'll wait right here." Trickster promised, sitting down.

"Thanks man." Flash said, and then took off.

"_Hey, guys," _Barry said through the link, "_I've got a guy ready for pick up. Down by the storage units."_

][][][][

Wally breathed in deep. He was in the closet. The door was closed. Again. The lights were off. The air was tight, thin, hardly there. And then, once again, there were the walls. They were around him, hungry lions. Crowding in on him. He wanted to move, but he was restrained. Though, even if he could somehow escape his bindings, Wally could feel how weak he was from hunger. He probably couldn't stand right now. He couldn't run. Not at superspeed, not at all. He was just Wally West. He wasn't the hero he couldn't remember. He wasn't, he wasn't, he wasn't. Not for the first time, he had to bite his lip so he didn't scream out the answer to Cold's latest question. Or, rather, his most reoccurring question.

Who was the Flash? What was his secret identity? What's your last name?

He hadn't answered. But Cold had guessed Wally's claustrophobia from his panic in the closet. He'd pushed him back in. He'd closed the door.

"Hey, Baby Flash." His voice grissled out playfully, sounding almost chipper, "Now, I don't know a lot about claustrophobia, okay? But you don't like closed spaces to much do you?"

Wally tried to shut him out. But the voice was the only thing to concentrate on, aside from the airless, confining, small, closet.

"Yeah, you don't. I know. Now, how about the walls, Wally? Aren't they close together? Isn't it tight?"

Oh man. Yes. Yes. And yes. They were. Oh geez, they were. The walls, they were tight. They were close together. They were pressing down on him.

"Yes." Wally whimpered, "Let me out!" he cried out in sheer panic. He couldn't help it. He couldn't.

"Oh, well, of course, Kid Flash." Cold said compliantly, "Just tell me who the Flash is."

"N-No." Wally answered. No. No, he couldn't. He'd just found out Barry was his all time favorite superhero! He couldn't tell. The dark seemed to wrap around him, hug him, push him nearer into the walls.

"Oh, well, I guess no." Cold said light heartedly.

Just then, Wally got mad. Really mad.

"Hey, Cold?" Wally said sweetly.

"You gonna talk, _Wally_?" Cold asked ruffly.

"Not really-I just wanted to tell you something." Wally said, a new edge entering his voice.

"And what would that be?" Cold said, his voice entering the dark room, a disembodied noise.

"The Flash is going to kill you." Wally said, trying to make his voice as creepy as possible, "And you know what? I'm almost sad he will. Because I'd rather see you rot in a cell." No, he didn't usually talk like this. But he was scared, he was hungry, and to be perfectly honest, he was mad.

"You don't scare me, Kid." Cold said lightly.

"I wouldn't scare me either." Wally answered the dark, answered the walls that closed in around him, "I'm tied to a chair. But Flash? He would terrify me. He's not tied to a chair. And he's a lot bigger."

"Kid, you're not helping yourself." Cold growled, "Now either tell me the Flash's identity, or shut it."

"You know how I would make Flash the maddest? I mean, he's an easy going guy and all. Trust me, I know. But if I _really_ wanted to tick him off? You know what I'd do? I'd kidnap his sidekick." Wally mused, and then he made his voice sound surprised, "Oh, wait! You did! You don't need m advice."

"That's it!" Cold growled, and Wally squinted his eyes as cold threw open the door. But then his eyes closed rapidly on instinct as Cold's fist collided with Wally's face. It hurt instantly, and Wally was once again reminded of his restraints when he tried to cup his face.

"Ouch!" Wally exclaimed.

"Did that hurt, Wally? Well that's too bad. Because I don't think I'm gonna quit until you give me the information I got."

"Terrific." Wally dead-panned.

"I wonder how fast you can run, Baby Flash, with two broken legs? Or ten broken toes?" Cold mused darkly.

][][][][

TO ALL: I'm back! Sorry, mini-vacation. Oops. Anyway, thank you, my wonderful reviewers ad readers!

JanelleL: I'm so sorry, but LOL I loved you're comment! You're reviews are always so nice, and it's just one of those things that makes my day, you know? And I won't kill of Wally. I'm Wally Abuse, not Wally death LOL, I hope you're not pouty over this

GhostDog401: Oh geez! Here's the update! LOL!

Amozon28: Well…*coughs* Anyway….*whistles* LOL, thanks!

Imsuchanut: Yes! Wally! LOL, glad everyone thought that was suspenseful!

Carf: *Gasp* Wally? No, I'd never kill him off!

Bat-dove: Actually, on a darker note…That'd be pretty fun to write. XD

RowanFall: Okay. This is just scary. You're number seven again! And you were last time to! You must have this special sense, you know. "Hmm…Memories of an Amnesiac has six reviews so far on the latest chapter…Better go review before number eight…" LOL! By-the-by, I'm glad you like the peace of mind line

KaliAnn: Thank you so much! Flash wouldn't die though…Not without Captain Cold…

Sophia Griffin: Sophia Griffin: 1 Inscriber's Attempt At Suspense: 0

Decdragon: Well thank you! And another person guessed! Hmm, well, we can't have it all, right? Thanks for the review! Glad you're enjoying it!

Karma Kiler 11: LOL, well a major thanks! You know, I love that! I'm glad you like this story so much! And I hope Trickster lived up to your expectations in this story!

ADogLover5: Well…REALLY! LOL! I figured Flash was a nick-name type, considering he always calls Batman "Bats". I kinda like mini-Bats too, so I'm glad you did as well! LOL!

Asdf: Thank you so much! I've been kind of a bad updater of late. I'm sorry

Litra: Yeah, it's just so tempting, you know? Of course you do! Cliffy's are fun. They just make you appear…evil, I suppose. Oh well. I've been perfecting my evil laugh lately. Seemed appropriate.


	16. Shatter

Chapter 16: Shatter

The sun was a piercing pink on the horizon, the clouds in the sky colored a rich baby blue and dotting the sky line of Central City. The sounds of traffic had not ebbed in the slightest, and people could still be heard from all around, shouting, yelling, laughing-all the noises of life. In fact, the only sign that time had changed within the large city was the fact that now street lights were flickering on, a dim yellow reminder that the sun had disappeared from the sky and the moon had come to take its place, or at least it would very soon. The rosy shade of a late afternoon was all that remained of the vigilante day that had nearly ended.

The Team was walking together, entering the elderly part of Central where the Flash had directed them. The old buildings stood over them like silent guardians of the past, watching the newcomers warily as if they were trying to remember what it was like to have people walk in front of them. Broken windows were like directed eyes, and boarded doors were gagged mouths, broken staircases an unwelcoming scar. These ancient buildings were such calm hostages of time, so peaceful when compared to the busier parts of town.

Artemis shivered a little as she shifted her sight away from the buildings, instead deciding the mostly paved road would lead to less dismal thoughts. Her arm boots hit the pavement with power, and to the left of her own feet, Robin's expert feet glided in complete silence, years of training ebbing any noise he may have once made in his light step. To the right of her were Aqualad's bare feet. He must not have been lying about how dense Atlantian skin could be, because he wasn't even flinching as his feet landed on the gravel-like road. Superboy's heavy stomping could be heard behind them, a deep and powerful sound that could only be heard if you listened for it. Miss Martian's shadow was the only sign that the olive skinned girl was with them, the darkened outline flowing above them as she flew, hovering just above them to the left of Conner.

All of a sudden, Robin stopped, pointing his thickly gloved hand towards a dimly lighted area of storage units. Briefly Artemis wondered why things such as this were always dimly lit, but that thought had no sure footing as Robin began to speak.

"Is that supposed to be the Trickster?" Robin asked, his voice wary as he pointed to a figure Artemis just now noticed.

Though now that she had gotten a good look at him, she was ashamed to admit she had missed it. After all, the man's costume was so bright and noticeable that it definitely would have caught it had she not been avoiding the ancient buildings and their sad but inescapable fate.

"Wait…Is that the guy?" Miss Martian asked in a puzzled voice. Her auburn eyes were confused as she stared at the man.

"Well, this is by the storage units like Flash said," Robin struggled, not accustomed to dealing with the backward villains of Central, "But…I mean, he's not even restrained." The teen observed, greatly perplexed by how to continue.

"So…I guess he's just waiting for us to arrest him?" Artemis wondered, catching her long pony tail in her hand and sending it back behind her where it belonged-not allowing it to laze over her shoulder like it tended to do.

The Team paused, eyeing the man with purple hair and yellow streaks. The guy was sitting on the curb just in front of the storage complex, leaning back casually with a goofy grin on his face, playing with the rough indents of the sidewalk as he did so. They could even pick up the occasional high note of sweet sound that they eventually recognized as whistling. It sounded like bird song, and to their great surprise and to Trickster's delight, a few seconds later from some far away perch, a bird answered.

"Seriously?" Artemis asked in a soft voice, "Are we arresting Snow White's lesser half?" she quipped, and Robin shot her a small smile. She returned it, but she couldn't help but wondering if this was for real. I mean, this didn't seem to be the type of man to kidnap superheroes-even if they were amnesiacs at the time.

"I guess so." Miss Martian commented, floating down to the ground, her feet making a small thumping noise as they swept low to the ground before her full wait landed on them.

As the Team began to step forward, Kaldur shot his hand out to stop their advance.

"We will approach him secretly. He does not appear to be a threat, but I would like to keep the element of surprise. Miss Martian and Robin, I want you to covertly scope out the area for any signs of ambush. We will approach this delicately in the unlikely case that this is an act-"

"Hey! Hey, guys!" a voice interrupted the leader, and five teenage heads shot up to face their planned target. The Trickster seemed to have spotted them, and he was waving to them rather frantically.

However, once the man had drawn attention to himself, his hand dropped like an anchor, and his frantic and wary glance turned into a sheepish expression.

"The picture of evil." Artemis whispered under her breath, not really able to believe that Wally had managed to be kidnapped by this man-or even held by this guy at least.

"Shh." Robin said, elbowing her shoulder, "Don't let appearances fool you. This just may be my Gotham stereotype talking, but this guy's dressed in a harlequin. I haven't had very good experiences with villains who have chosen the clown as their mantle, if you catch my drift. More specifically, a joker."

"But at least we're not letting appearances fool us." Artemis said, elbowing the Boy Wonder right back.

"Quiet, both of you." Kaldur ordered before he turned his face to the Trickster.

"I am Kaldur. Am I correct when I make the hasty assumption that you are The Trickster?"

"Yeah, I'm Trickster. Are you the friends of Wally's that Flash was telling me about? Are you the guys who are taking me to jail?" Trickster asked, tilting his head to the side, "I've never been arrested by sidekicks before. Well, Baby Flash…" Trickster admitted.

The Team exchanged surprised glances.

"Who's Wally?" Robin asked with sheer conviction in his words, "I mean, we are the Flash's friends, but I don't think I've ever met a 'Wally' in my life." The little bird chirped instantly, not missing a beat.

The Trickster stared at the Team for a moment, and then laughed.

"Whoa, the Boy Wonder can lie really well! But it's alright; Kid Flash told me his name." Trickster assured them, standing up. He brushed off his costume, and then smiled at the team.

"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about." Robin said in puzzlement, crossing his arms, mentally swearing he would have the team sit down together and he would personally lecture _everyone_ on the term **'**_Secret Identity'. _Seriously, how was that so hard?

"No, you do!" Trickster exclaimed, getting frustrated, "I know! Captain Cold and I made him tell!"

"Made him tell? What do you mean?" Superboy asked, his voice a guttural growl. He didn't like the idea of anybody forcing anyone to do anything, like he had been. Conner hadn't made friends with very many people yet, but Wally had been there ever since he had escaped Cadmus. That counted for something. So it made his blood boil when Trickster suggested anyone making forcing his amnesiac friend tell them anything.

"Well," Trickster trailed, slightly jumpy at the sound of Conner's voice, "I mean…we tied him to a chair and put him in a closet. You know…I mean, and other stuff."

Artemis frowned, taking a step closer to the man, "If I were you, I'd explain the 'and other stuff' part pretty quick." Artemis snarled, taking a step closer. But no sooner had her foot hit the pavement, Kaldur had grabbed her wrist softly to stop her advance.

"Artemis." He said warningly, and she stopped rigidly, but her anger was not dowsed, and she continued a hateful glare at the man in cheerful clothes.

"Just stuff! Nothing bad, I swear! I wouldn't break the Rule! Not like Cold!" Trickster whined, holding up his hands defensively.

"The Rule?" Robin asked.

"You don't kill." Trickster stated firmly, as if saying something sacred.

Artemis became unhinged, "Did Cold break the Rule?" Artemis asked in a deathly still voice.

"Nope. I stopped him." Trickster said proudly, "I saved Wally and he says I'm not a Rogue…" the man quietly grumbled.

"_Umm…guys? How are we going to handle this exactly? I mean…We can't just let him tell everyone who Wally is."_ Artemis thought at them.  
>"<em>Miss Martian." <em> Kaldur thought, and stood aside gesturing to Trickster, "_Be careful."_

Miss Martian nodded and her eyes closed before the reopened with a luminous glowing emerald. She then lifted up her hand, reaching out towards Trickster. She sorted out strange memories and confused feelings and creative but harmful weapons until she found an image of Wally's face. She frowned at the memory. The speedster's face was pale and his expressive green eyes were widened in panic, and he was weakly thrashing against his restraints. He didn't look like the teen she knew. The confidence was gone, the bravery was gone, and the fun loving smile and bright outlook were gone. There was just a scared fifteen year old left in his place. She gasped inwardly but proceeded, smudging out Wally's face until it was a blur, damaging the memory. Then she sifted through another storm of thoughts until she arrived at another memory, one where Wally's face was a bright red and he looked extremely uncomfortable. He was shouting his name loudly, almost pleadingly. This memory was quickly distorted, and she was quick to do it. As if erasing the memory from the Trickster's mind would mean it had never happened, even though she knew it had.

She pulled out of the man's mind, and Trickster groaned as one hand flew to his head.

"Whoa…" he commented, "What was that?" he asked, looking dazedly at the team.

Miss Martian sent him a reassuring smile, seeing no need to lie to the guy.

"It's okay. I just made it so you couldn't remember anything about Kid Flash." She explained, and she waited for a reaction.

Trickster looked a little disappointed, like a kicked puppy, before he shrugged heavily.

"Okay, but this doesn't mean I'm not a Rogue." Trickster said, crossing his arms.

][][][][

Cold's breath was the equivalent to that of a rotten onion field on a hot summer day, and Wally was fairly certain the humidity would be about the same, too. But he kept these thoughts to himself as he sat, firmly strapped to the chair, and waited for Cold to return, and to bring his horrid breath with him. He could hear the villain clomping about, just out of eyesight, cursing the Trickster for the destruction of the ice gun as the sound of metal things being pushed aside as Cold did so. He could hear his name, and his hero name, being thrown in to the vile mix of curses along with Cold. But the difference was where Trickster was just simply bad-mouthed, Wally's name seemed to end in threats.

If he would have had the ability to, he was sure he would be fidgeting, nervously shifting in his seat. As it was, he simply focused on the noises while his mind rolled over the sounds and threats carefully as Cold muttered on about all the creative ways her could kill Wally. But even the death ones seemed preferable when Cold started on his rants of plots that would keep Wally _alive_.

Wally's mind flashed back to Cold talking about his morals. He couldn't help but snort, finding the thought ridiculous beyond belief. "Morals". He couldn't remember ever hearing such a funny thing in his life. He snorted again, his nerves getting the better of him. Wally realized with horror that he was laughing softly to himself, his frayed nerves escaping him in nervous chuckles that were slowly bubbling out into full throttle laughter. He couldn't help it, and his face welled up with tears as he tried to restrain the giggles erupting from himself and causing his stomach to convulse. Then his tummy rumbled in protest, and for some reason, that made Wally laugh harder.

The sounds of Cold rummaging around stopped, and the man marched into the room stiffly, a firmly placed scowl and puckered brow being displayed on his grisly old face.

"You think this is funny Kid?" the man yelled angrily, "Well then, you're going to find this pretty hilarious." He said, his voice coming down.

Wally looked up to face his captor. The giggles that he had not been able to stop were suddenly still, leaving him immediately. Cold was gripping a crowbar in one gloved hand tightly, and his face was a deathly kind of serious.

"Didn't think so." Cold ground out in a sweet tone.

The villain wedged himself closer to Wally, to where the crowbar was touching his side lightly. The metal was freezing, and Wally had to resist the urge to flinch-but the resistance was unnecessary due to his bindings. He wouldn't have been able to move in any case.

Cold laughed lightly, and leaned in, now sure he had the teen's attention.

"You know, I'm a forgiving sort of man." Cold said after a tense silence, "I've decided that I won't kill you, Baby Flash. But, I have decided to teach you a little thing about respect, _Wally_."

Wally's throat went dry, a now sandy Savanna within him. The crowbar was shoved deeper into his side, and he cringed as it was quickly drawn away.

"In fact, Baby Flash," Cold smiled a winning sort of grin, "I'll even let you choose what we break first. Legs or toes, Kid?" the man said, his voice sadistically pleased with itself.

Wally gulped, trying to quench the desert that had replaced his throat, and stared with large eyes at Cold, "W-What?" he asked.

"I'm breaking something, Kid. I'm just letting you decide what." Cold explained, "Now, I'm not the most patient of men, so if I were you, I'd talk."

Wally stared at the man like he was crazy, which wasn't as difficult to imagine as some might like to believe, his mouth wide open.

Cold stared back, but with an eager twinkle in his eye.

"My patience is running thin." Cold warned, and the crow bar was raised behind his head, ready to swing.

Wally gasped in panic, "Are you serious?" he screeched, trying to flinch despite the mass of shiny gray that forbade him to move.

"Never more in my life. Now choose before I get to pick."

Wally cringed, "Uh, uh," he stammered, his eyes unsure whether to look at his still-intact body or to stare at the man who would soon damage it.

Cold smiled eagerly, repositioning his weapon in his hands.

"My pinky toe." Wally decided, and his eyes closed in wait.

He didn't have to wait long. The sound of Cold's crowbar flying through the air filled the room, seeming to last far longer than it actually did. However, the target Wally had been prepared for was not the thing that was now internally on fire. Wally gasped in pain, a small and wet plop of tears rolling down his cherry red cheeks. Not a millisecond later, he heard a sickening crack, and his leg felt like molten lava, alerting him a muscles torn and bones broken.

"Ahh!" Wally screamed on impulse, his head jerking back as though he could escape. It hurt. It hurt so bad. Wally gasped again, feeling a tad lightheaded as he shot a look down at his leg. His stomach turned unpleasantly when he noticed the state of his appendage. He hadn't even known legs could _be_ in that position. His knee was distorted, tilting at an odd angle and causing the rest of his leg to look unbalanced. Wally saw a small trickle of blood beginning to escape his pant leg, starting to discolor the denim.

Wally breathed in deeply, his mind still racing from the new alertness his body felt. He turned his wildly bright eyes on Cold, angry tears slowly spilling from them.

"I-I s-said pinky t-t-oe" The speedster spit out.

That's when he began to feel the oddest sensation. From beneath his skin he cold feeling things…_healing_. Skin, he could feel it closing and growing already. His bone seemed to crack into place, making themselves at home where they were. It wasn't painless either. It _hurt_, feeling his torn muscles sow themselves together and he writhed his shoulder's uselessly.

"I know what you said, Baby Flash." Cold replied, not noticing the teen's pain or at least mistaking it still from the crowbar, "But really, what lesson would that teach you? Now shut up-there's one more to go."

"Oh, lord," Wally breathed, inhaling sharply, "Please, no." he begged, "Not again, not again, not a –Ahh!"

The crowbar collided with his other leg. At first, Wally felt lucky when it didn't break on impact. But Cold had apparently been wanting more than just pain, and so he did it again, ramming the chilling metal repeatedly against the leg until Wally gasped as a heart-wrenching shattering sound broke into the room.

Wally blinked dazedly, the room blurring a bit in his vision. The room was spinning with his pain, making the place look just like a Picasso painting.

"O-o-o-o-w." Wally stuttered, and the feeling of healing began again, but this time at a much slower pace. Then, before it had even seemed to finish, it stopped. Wally frowned at this until he heard his stomach rumble, and he remembered with thick thoughts about when that awful hunger he had already been through. Oh…he was out of food. He thought he remembered something about that he couldn't do much on an empty stomach…like heal or run.

"I think I'm gonna give you a three minute brake, Kid." Cold's voice floated to him, "Don't want to shock you're little system too much, now do we?" he said warmly, like he was giving Wally some great kindness.

But Wally didn't really care at the moment. Three minutes of nothing sounded really good right now…Nothing except listening to his stomach rumble.

][][][][

Scarlet Mist: Haha! It's okay! And I totally agree…Wally, you're mouth will be the death of you (Kinda literally.)

Imsuchanut: Oh, well, good! I feel special when people review my stories! Thank you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Ghostdof401: True, very true. And yeah, I actually have started to like the Trickster, the more I read of him. Poor guy. And yay! I got someone to feel bad for a bad guy! By the way, thank you for the picture! It's very good (And I may write a small one shot for it…If you'd let me.)

DecDragon: Whoo! Did you like it?

Maycie: Wow, thank you for liking it! And thanks! IC is always something I strive for, as well of how realistic it is-so thank you a lot for noticing it was! I feel pretty good now, thanks a bunch!

CK4Eva: Cliffy's are evil. What sort of heartless person would ever be so cruel as to leave someone with one? Oh…right *smiles evilly*

KaliAnn: The Trickster really is a sweety…When he's not, you know, being a villain

Sophia Griffin: I know! And good job with being right!

RowanFall: You're recent string of seven's has faltered. You were number nine. Still, LOL, you're pretty close. And thank you! I try my best to keep it interesting! And, once again ,you have managed to find a line you liked. I'm so flattered!

JanelleL: You've showed this story to your friends? How nice of you! Really that's honestly very sweet! I'm glad they are enjoying it-that's an even bigger plus! :D

A Random Reader: You won't have to wait long! I'm glad you enjoy the Trickster! He is one of my favorite's to write for, recently-he's just so innocent and not at the same time.

Sincerely Seven: I'm thrilled you're enjoying this! I wish I could say…without giving something away, :/ But keep reading!

Litra: I could not, in any possible way, agree more! Torturing characters is just to say "I love you"

Wally: Could you love me a little less?

Inscriber: Don't you have a chair to be tied to right now?

And thank you, I love the Trickster!

Xellda: LOL-NO ONE breaks the Rule! And, no kidding! I bet it would! Thankfully, I've only ever broken my arm, but that was just one bone and it STILL hurt REALLY bad.

Bat-dove: I think you're right! Tickster is probably also one of the only bad guys I will not beat the living crap out of.

Adoglover5: Oh, lol! Man, _I_ want to play darts with the Trickster (the soft kind :D) Oh-No. No, Barry Allen is not a guy you want to tick off.

Asdf: Wow. Sincerely, thank you! I'm glad you thought it was that good! Really, that's wonderfully nice!

Karma Killer 11: THANK YOU so much! I love it when people love how I write a character, and everyone seems to be reacting quite well to the Trickster. And I know! I know it was weird to have Wally be creepy, but you have to admit he would be peeved at this point. And thanks! I'm glad you liked the descriptive!

DayDreamingOfYou: No, no it's not! Luckily, he didn't get it back yet! But man…that would hurt. :/


	17. Mend

Chapter 17: Mend

Night snuck up on Central like an animal that'd been lying in anxious wait, pouncing on the unsuspecting city as soon as the rosy pink of late afternoon had turned its back and the sun had departed to other parts of the world. The only defenses from the darkened skies were the numerous street lights that stood ready, already being turned on minutes before.

Miss Martian noticed something. Nights on Earth were never how they were portrayed on television or how they were depicted in pictures. There were no stars. Not a single visible light in the midst of the sky's pitch black vastness. She had heard it was because of all the lights on the ground-they over powered the star's natural illumination. The only reason this reflection had crossed her train of thought was because she'd wanted to make a wish. But as she'd realized, stars didn't exist in big cities. But in case wishes still did, she looked to the nearest street lamp and silently made a small and brief request to find Wally as soon as possible.

Then her eyes trailed down the pole of the light and found Robin lacing handcuffs around it. On the other end, Trickster was yanking half-heartedly at his newly applied restraints, a pouty frown on his face, though in honesty, it looked more bored than anything.

Robin stepped back to admire his handiwork while Trickster continued to pull weakly at his metal cuffs.

"How long do I have to stay here?" the man whined, looking at the sky before returning his attention to the teens.

"Not long. We called the cops. They'll be here in maybe fifteen minutes." Robin replied in a tone that was somewhere between assuring and stiff. Miss Martian could tell the Boy Wonder was still a little wary of the man in the harlequin suit, even without reading his emotions. Not that she blamed him, considering the boy had battled the Joker since he was very young. Even simple retellings of the Joker's plans had turned her stomach, and Robin had lived them.

"Wait, are you wearing glow-in-the-dark clothes?" Artemis asked suddenly, directing her attention to Trickster. Sure enough, the sleeves of his mulit-colored clothes were softly glowing to themselves. The man nodded proudly; obviously delighted someone had noticed his subtle light show. To Megan's amusement, some of his patterns were stars that twinkled a continuous yellow.

"Team, I suggest we catch up with the Flash." Kaldur put forward, calling attention back to himself as he had been standing aside the Boy Wonder. While he took his position leader seriously, the idea of babysitting a criminal instead of finding his lost teammate was unappealing, to say the least.

"Did you just say 'catch up with the Flash'?" Robin joked, "The only one who can do that is KF." He slipped. The team outwardly tensed, and Robin felt hot embarrassment hit him.

"Yeah." Artemis commented dryly, crossing her arms, shooting him a piercing look that hit him like her sharpest arrow. It wasn't Robin she was angry at. Things were only supposed to be this tense and awkward if said person was dead or near it. Wally wasn't either-she knew it.

Robin rubbed the back of his neck with embarrassment, mouthing 'Oops' at Artemis with an apologetic smile. The archer shrugged lightly, and the Boy Wonder straightened with relief. As the tense moment passed, Aqualad cleared his throat loudly.

"As I was saying." The Atlantian began again, turning his attention to Miss Martian, "Contact the Flash and update him on our status. See if there is anything we may contribute."

][][][][

Wally breathed in deeply, trying to clear the fog in his mind, but his thoughts still felt gooey. Sticky unmoving, his thoughts slithered through his head. But then sometimes without out warning, they'd slip away like water through his fingers. His legs hurt, but that had dulled along with his thoughts as his rumbling and demanding stomach growled at him insistently. A vague notion loosely suggested the momentary subsidence of pain had something to do with the body's natural pain killers and that it wouldn't last forever, especially without food to keep his metabolism going. But, soon the thought was an elusive liquid, and there it went…sliding and slipping away into the thick nothingness that was wrapped around him like an impenetrable gauze.

The orange flooring beneath him had a couple more stains than it had had previously, he noticed. Now not only coffee dotted the crummy carpet, but there…there was the green-blue puddle on the floor that looked more like dried paint now. And closer to his chair, there was a red dash or two. Like splatter art. That's when it hit him-that was his blood. He flinched a little, his stomach churning as he stared at the little patches of red.

The realization somewhat shocked him, and he managed to fight off a small portion of the nausea that was surrounding him. This was bad. Really bad. He glanced down at his misshapen legs and he cringed again. The leg that hadn't healed completely was bleeding again, a steady stream staining his skin a crimson color.

"Baby Flash, it's been three minutes." He heard, and he forced himself to bob his head up-he hadn't realized he'd been hunched over, only his restraints supporting him. He really needed some food. Why couldn't Cold have kidnapped him sometime after he'd eaten the stupid candy bar? Why couldn't he have stayed home and been bored? He felt his face sour as his brow puckered in frustration and aggravation, but his weakness made it rather hard to hold on to the feeling for any length of measureable time. But, hey, with his speed and how long this was lasting, that was pretty good. Wally smiled a small, delirious, smile. Maybe he'd only been here for a few minutes! Maybe, maybe…Maybe. Maybe this had only lasted a tiny amount of time. For some reason that thought comforted him. Yeah…That had to be it. And he'd never heard that girly voice in his head. It was just the pain talking. Yeah. You heard about stuff like that all the time on medical shows-hallucinations.

Wally gasped in surprise, his eyes blinking rapidly as without any warning, he felt a gloved hand cupping his chin and forcing him to look up again. He was staring into the almost colorless eyes of Cold. They were dead serious.

"Come on Kid, snap out of it. It's just two broken legs. We're not even half way there." Cold growled in disgust.

That caught Wally's attention and he managed to fight off some of his weariness, trying to force himself to think more clearly.

"Huh?" he asked, the one word expressing a rather impressive range of emotion. Fear, mostly. But a dash of surprise and anger as well, even some confusion for bonus points.

Cold smiled in delight, nodding.

"Oh yes, Baby Flash. Ten whole toes are still intact." Cold informed him, "And I'd like to change that."

Wally sucked in a sharp breath, and Cold seemed to relish in it, an unfitting smile smearing his mouth into an ugly shape.

"Do you have a preference? About what we break first?" Cold questioned sweetly, turning behind him to grab the crowbar off the coach.

"Doesn't matter 'f I 'id." Wally mumbled, and was surprised to find his voice had slurred. Huh. That was new.

Cold seemed to pause for this while he turned back to Wally, lightly patting the crowbar in his hand as he considered the statement. Then the man shrugged.

"No, I suppose not." Cold granted the speedster, and then put the crowbar down as he thought of something. He walked over to the coffee table and dragged it over to Wally. Wally vaguely wandered what Cold was doing.

Suddenly Wally howled in pain as Cold tore Wally's broken legs free of the duct tape and slammed the straight against the table that's been wedged just on front of him like a make-shift footrest.  
>Wally instantly felt like he was flying as his head got lightheaded from the throbbing that shook his legs as his broken bones tried to once again reset themselves. Pain raced up and down him, alerting his body to stop whatever strenuous activity it was participating in, but Wally couldn't.<p>

"Sorry, Kid." Cold murmured, "Didn't want to have to bend over, you know? My knee's been giving me some trouble lately."

"Know the feelin'" Wally gasped in his daze, the world spinning.

Instead of reprehending the redhead, like he'd first thought of, Cold laughed and shook his head lightheartedly, "Heh, I suppose you do." He laughed again.

Then Cold laid down the crowbar against the table. He carefully leaned over and grabbed Wally's shoes off of his feet. Once again, the jolt of pain seared him, but the redhead could only allow tears and a sharp gasp to escape his mouth before another swing cut him short. Wally wasn't surprised anymore, when it didn't stop. He knew what Cold was waiting for-a crack. He wouldn't stop until something was broken. It sickened Wally that he dimly found himself wishing something _would _break so he would get at least a momentary reprieve. However, he forgot that misplaced hope as soon as he heard two of his toes bend back with a heart-stopping crunch. They didn't straighten, and remained bent at an odd angle.

"Ahh!" Wally yelled, jerking back strong enough to rattle the chair.

His face turned red, but no tears came to his eyes. Maybe he was all dried up. But that didn't stop his scream. Or the pain, he noticed unfortunately.

"Just eight more." Cold said like he was trying to comfort Wally, but his tone was empty and even ragged by the last word.

But by that time, Wally could only make out the almost numb feeling of unintelligible pain that shot through his body with the next fall of the crowbar.

][][][][

Barry zoomed into the maze of apartments, keeping his eyes out for any that were demolished or surrounded by debris or wreckage. The street sang an orchestra of beats as his feet hit the pavement, the sound of rapid gun fire sounding from the action. When he'd first heard the Trickster say that Cold's base was "underneath a condemned apartment building", he'd rashly assumed that there would be a specific building. Unfortunately, many of the outdated apartment buildings bore the harsh reality of being dimmed unfit for life. So he was having to go through every condemned apartment building. Which was an extreme source of disappointment and frustration as he would run in hopefully and come back minutes later with stunningly empty hands. He'd already been in six different apartment buildings, all of which he found didn't even have a basement, save one. But it was empty. He could feel time slipping away. He was so close, and yet he felt so far away. He could envision Wally tied up with thick rope and gagged. Just that image made his blood boil.

"_Flash?" _Miss Martian chimed carefully, interrupting Barry's thoughts. Though, he didn't mind too terribly much at the moment.

"_Yeah. Did you get Trickster?" _Flash replied, surprised to find how tight even his mental voice had gotten.

"_Oh, yeah." _Megan commented lightly, "_He is very nice for a villain. Is there anything we can do? Have you found Wally?"_

"_I haven't. Can you locate him? Is he in range? Could you sense him out?"_ Barry thought suddenly, his telepathic tone hopeful.

"_Hello, Megan! I bet I'm in range now! We'll meet up where you are and I'll give it a shot!"_ Megan replied happily.

"_Good. I'm over on South Sullivan street, by Morningside street." _Flash told her.

"_Okay. We'll be there in five minutes or so. I'll try sensing him out." _ Megan promised, trying to send a reassuring tone in her response.

"_Hurry."_ Flash replied, but the single word had been thought in hyper drive, so all Megan truly understood was an 'H' and 'R' sound.

As soon as she left the mental link, Flash sighed. Five minutes would feel like _hours._

][][][][

Exactly three hundred seconds and forty-two point three milliseconds later, six teens slipped onto the corner of Morningside and Sullivan. The moon was high now, sitting in the sun's rightful place and looking alone without the millions of stars showing by it.

"Um, where's Flash?" Artemis asked, her gray eyes inspecting the empty streets. Only two street lights were there, doing a very poor job of actually providing light and instead flickering like they weren't sure if it was appropriate or not.

"Maybe he got the streets wrong?" Megan asked in puzzlement.

"Perhaps we have mistaken his meaning?" Kaldur wondered outloud.

But these questions were quickly dispelled as a red blur smeared into clearness in front of them. The figure settled out into the Flash, who was displaying a forced smile.

"Sorry-condemned building two streets away. Thought I had time. He wasn't there." He explained before focusing on Miss Martian.

"Have you sensed him out yet?" Barry asked hopefully, looking around quickly as though Wally might be among the team. But no mops of red hair were to be seen in the thick crowd of costumes and masks.

"No, we just got here. Aqualad thought it would be best if we were all here when we sensed him." Megan explained, "But I'll do it now."

Then she raised her hands to either side of her head, lightly feathering her temples before her auburn eyes flashed a grassy green.

][][][][

Wally stared numbly ahead, his eyes glued to his misshaped legs, though they occasionally slid down to his mangled right foot. Old trails of tears poured down his cheeks, but that's all they were. Trails. Little paths that were now dry. His tears were all gone, now only able to heave his stomach with choked off sobs of pain instead of cry. He hurt. But he was also really tired. Which wasn't a good thing. Nope. But…going to sleep sounded so good right now. It sounded painless. And much more preferable than this in-and-out-it state he was in. Also, he was tired of watch Cold clean the blood of the crowbar. It was so anticlimactic.

"_Wally! Oh…Wally!" _

Wally blinked dazedly. Whoa. That was the clearest thought he'd had in _forever._ But why had he thought his own name? That was stupid. He would have much rather preferred something like….an escape plan or something.

"_Wally, it's me. Megan, remember? From earlier? Listen, you're not thinking clearly." _The voice said carefully.

Wally snorted, but he wasn't sure if that was because he was delirious or if it was for the reason of how obvious that was.

"_Try to think directly at me Wally. Focus on me okay? I can only track you if you're awake."_

Wally frowned. Track him? Huh.

"_Yeah. We're close. We'll get you. We have the Flash and the whole team." _ Megan told him. Her voice sounded worried though. She could feel Wally's pain and his hunger. It was unbearable. She actually considered it a good thing that his thoughts were so thick. If he were thinking clearly, than he would be in disorientating pain.

Wally blinked, a light smile touching his lips. The Flash was his uncle and the fastest man alive.

"What are you smiling about, _Wally_? Or have you just lost it?" Cold asked, noticing the smile on his face.

"Both." Wally said through his thick tongue, trying to squeeze the word out. Even though…it didn't really make sense. Oh well.

Cold frowned, not sure if the teen was messing with him or not.

"Do you think you're being clever, Baby Flash?" Cold asked harshly, his grip tightening on the end of the crowbar.

Wally stared at him a second with a blank look on his face, "No." Kid Flash slurred out, the word sounding messy and unformed even as it left his mouth.

Cold shrugged. If the teen did think he was being smart, he'd be proved wrong soon enough. The man stood, stretching and popping his back before grabbing his crowbar.

"Okay, three minutes are up." He informed the redhead, who's blank eyes instantly flashed in fear.

"_Wally, we've got a lock on you. We'll be there soon-what's wrong?"_

What was wrong? Nothing except how broken his legs were, how distorted and weird his foot was and how soon the other would be the same. Oh, and how hungry he was. How it ate at him. How it was nearly as painful as the crowbar slamming into him.

"_Oh! Wally, we'll be there really quick!" _

Quick? Quick was forever in speedster terms.

That's when pain shot through him quickly. Cold had swung at his left foot, but missed and hit his knee again.

][][][][

Megan put her hands down, the link still firm and fresh in her mind. But that didn't stop her legs from swaying as she remembered Wally's intense disorientation and pain. As she felt herself dip to the right, Conner's grip immediately stopped her fall.

"Are you okay?" Superboy asked, watching her carefully as she straightened herself out and forced herself up right.

"Yeah, but Wally…he's in so much pain…" Megan gasped, grabbing her head again, but this time only trying to ward off her massive headache.

Barry stiffened instantly, and anger mixed with distress and flowed out and around him.

"He's what?" Barry seethed, "Where is he? How close?" the speedster demanded.

The whole team straightened at the man's tone, never having heard such…intensity come from the Flash, of all superheroes. It didn't fit, the anger clashing with the image of the Flash they knew.

"He's close. Maybe a street away." Megan told the Scarlet Speedster, pointing down from the opposite direction he'd come.

"Which one?" Barry asked.

"Third down, left side." Megan answered, concentrating, trying to pin-point Wally's scattered thoughts.

She blinked, expecting a response, but by the time she opened her eyes, Barry was gone, and only a red blur was rounding a corner. Almost as suddenly, Robin darted out from behind her, Artemis close behind, readying her bow with a particularly sharp arrow that glinted a deathly steel color that matched her eyes.

"Let's go." Aqualad ordered from behind her, taking off after his other two teammates.

"Way ahead of you." Superboy answered, leaping into the air with a burst of strength.

Megan nodded, "_We're coming, Wally."_

][][][][

The now familiar sound of a bone crunching out of place sounded in the room. Wally only groaned though, his head slumping back.

"_We're coming, Wally."_ A voice told him.

"Thass' good." Wally muttered sluggishly.

"What's good?" Cold asked, looking strangely at the redhead. The occasional outburst were starting to bother him. He didn't have a good feeling when it concerned them. It was like the kid was answering someone.

"They're coming." Wally drawled, his eyes fluttering closed.

Cold frowned menacingly and grabbed the teen's shoulders.

"Who's coming?" he demanded, and Wally opened his eyes, though the green was just slightly glazed. Probably from pain.

"Flash. And the team." Wally recalled, smiling at the thought of seeing Barry. Seeing a familiar face sounded nice. Not all these strangers who had the unfair advantage of knowing who he was while he hadn't the faintest idea of who they were.

Cold cursed loudly, punching a nearby wall. He needed to get out of here.

That's when he heard the sounds of angry movements from outside his hideout.

][][][][

Author's Mailbag:

TO ALL: …Well, that was a tad more graphic than I had originally intended. Next chapter, things get better, I promise!

KaliAnn: Cold is a jerk! I wish all villains were like Trickster. But then it'd be so much harder to hate them.

Ghostdog401: I'll send you something when I finish. And agree. He's just so innocent.

Karma Killer 11: Thank you so much! That was really sweet of you! I try really hard with stuff like that, and when someone comments on it, it just sincerely makes my day.

Rowanfall: Really? That's disappointing! :/ LOL-I don't watch the show but I'm thrilled to know the phrase is alive and well! And yeah! Do you think I pushed the torture here? A little too much? And thanks! Anyway, once again, I'm flattered that you loved the description!

JanelleL: Oops, I didn't mean to get the beat up scenes so close together. :/ Oh well. And I'm sad to see the Trickster go to. He's so fun to write for! AND OH NO! *holds other side of head to stop leakage* Just breathe, okay! I'll go get…a bucket?

Kristie Lynn: Well if that isn't one of the nicest compliments you can pay an author, I don't know what is! And you're not a nerd-I love Wally angst too! Keep reading for the next chapter! That's when he gets rescued.

Scarlet Mist: Well, that relief was cut short. Sorry :/ And, Wally's laughing was slightly based off my own quirk. When I'm hurt, my very first reaction is too giggle. It's weird. I just figured…Hey, it's Wally. He probably does the same thing

Asdf: Thanks! I love that guy!

Sincerely Seven: Oh, I know you're not! That was my attempt at humor! I enjoy the speculation. It's just hard to respond to. But I love it all the same! It says people are actually thinking about the fic. And on the same note as the one you ended on-thank you so much! I just figured they wouldn't be used to the likes of the Trickster.

Xellda: I update at the speed of a lethargic turtle sometimes. I apologize. On a side note though, I do like knowing that you like the story so much!

Bat-dove: Totally! However, maybe just a card. The ER doesn't usually except guests that aren't immediate family.

Adoglover5: Before Cold became a villain, he had a little known dream to be a doctor. However, he kept confusing the pinky toe and the knee. Thus he went to a life of crime. And still managed to have it backfire. FTW!

CaramelBuddy: Why thank you just so much! My heart soars at compliments such as this, and a smile can be seen on my face all day. And there it goes.

DayDreamingofYou: LOL. Yeah, I guess you're right! But don't worry! Next chapter is when things get better!

LyndseyRyder12: Wally will be fine, don't cry! Glad you find it suspenseful!


	18. Determination

Chapter 18: Determination

Barry and the team were gathered around the back of a nearly collapsed apartment building that's entire structure reeked of decay. The building itself sagged with wavering bricks, and it was riddled with long cracks that wormed themselves around the building. Windows were backed in, and through those that weren't tightly boarded up, you could see parts of downed walls and collapsed ceilings. It even smelled old-the odor of material rotting and old smoke clinging to the site for dear life. The team was standing in front of an old metal cellar door that had been jarred shut and was rusted, pelted with dents. Barry was standing over it, the dead of night clashing with his bright red suit. The team couldn't see him moving, but they knew he was vibrating in anger because of the small piles of rubble starting to assemble under his feet.

Miss Martian cleared her throat, "I'll use my telepathy to open the-" she began, but she was cut short as Flash tore at the door, punching it so fast his molecules slid right through to the other side seamlessly . They watched in silent awe as the rest of the man followed, his body becoming nothing but an obscure tint in the air until he slipped through. And then the team was alone.

"Um…What just happened?" Artemis asked, pulling out an explosive arrow and aiming it at the cellar door.

"He vibrated his molecules fast enough to go through the door." Robin said, "Now hurry up!" The youngest member demanded impatiently.

Artemis growled, but she was just as eager as the Boy Wonder and she relaxed her hold on her delicate explosive, allowing it to fly into the air like a graceful bird. The only sound was the bird-like whistling of the arrow flying in the air-until a powerfully forceful sound of explosion took over. The warmth of the flames washed over them before the roaring blaze subsided into nothingness.

Artemis straightened herself out, and Robin ducked in behind her with a characteristic pixie laugh-only this time the laugh had a much darker tint to it than it normally did. It was tinged with a notable layer of anger.

Without a moment's hesitation, she followed the Boy Wonder's swishing cape and listened to the sound of her teammates clomping behind her.

][][][][

Barry was instantly greeted by the sight of a living room theme. The lights were turned off, but he could still make out a dirty orange carpet and a coach that may have at one point been described as white. The walls were filled with punched out holes and a closet door was hanging open slightly, a hole in the wall barely showing. However, the odd assortment of un-matching furniture and the grimy appearance were not the most sickening things about the room and none of them held his attention. Instead, his eyes were locked on Wally. The redhead was degradingly duct taped to a chair, his legs bent awkwardly on top of an old coffee table that'd been pushed up the rim of the seat of his chair. His legs…Barry cringed, though anger was a more dominant emotion to him than his disgust. They were bent wrong, his left in twisted strangely in two places while his other and far more lucky right leg was bent only once. A small trickle of blood was steadily escaping his left leg, and as Barry followed it down to his feet, his noticed that a majority of Wally's toes were either bent in the wrong direction or hanging loosely like drooping heads of punished children. Barry shot his eyes up to Wally's face. The redhead's cheeks were flushed and his freckled skin was lightly stained with dry tear paths. His green eyes were dazed and scared, but somehow detached like he was fighting off unconsciousness.

"Kid…" Barry murmured, and for the first time Wally's eyes seemed to focus on him. An out-of-sorts smile lit his face pale face. But just as quickly a frown replaced it.

"Down," Wally choked out, and Barry's eyes widened behind his cowl as he deciphered Wally's meaning.

He ducked just in time to miss the swinging of a crowbar, the sound of a heavy swish emphasizing the movement. Just as he began to duck, Barry turned to face directly behind him, his eyes landing on the bulky frame of Cold's tall figure shrouded in his blue outfit.

"Stupid kid." Gold snarled with hatred in his voice, watching his make-shift weapon sail right above the elder speedsters head, cursing the freckled brat for his warning.

Barry stood up fluidly, though his anger made his movement stiff and rigid. It was odd how one could move so gracefully at such high speeds, and yet accurately display such divine hatred in a single act. As soon as he was standing firmly on both feet, Barry grabbed hold of the material on either side of the man's shoulders harshly, forcefully lifting the man off the ground.

"Captain Cold." Barry growled in a low hollow voice. Anger surged through him as he held this…he didn't dare call it a man. This…_it_ had taken his nephew. This offensive waste of carbon dioxide had then _beaten_ the teen with a _crowbar_ after tying him to a _chair_. This pathetic excuse for a human being had _beaten Wally_.

This stopped the wriggling man for a moment, halting him, the sound of the awful sound grinding out of Flash's mouth. The Flash had never once spoken in such a tone. Never had such rage been so neatly flung from his mouth. It was actually rather terrifying. Staring down the red fitted arms and down at a half concealed face that was adjusted crookedly into a menacing frown while you dangled with your feet barely touching the ground.

"Flash." Cold said, trying to maintain a steady voice, but found that it faltered anyway. That's when the villain realized he'd dropped his crowbar. He was defenseless. That's when the redhead's voice echoed in his head- _He's gonna kill you_. Cold felt fear trickle heartlessly down his spin. He didn't doubt it.

Barry growled as the man said his name, and his fist collided with the man's face. Before even a second had passed, seven more blows had been liberally applied to Cold's face. His protective goggles were cracked and the right side of his jaw was bruising a painful looking purple.

Cold gasped in surprise, the shock from the unexpected and new found pain ripping through him. Barry gritted his teeth and delivered another good second of punches or so, until Cold coughed and Barry frowned as a tooth hit the ground. It landed at the Flash's feet, and Barry looked disgusted as he set the man back down on his own two feet.

From his chair, Wally's stomach rumbled and he groaned, his head slumping forward weakly.

Barry made a move towards the move before he turned back to Cold, his gaze sharp.

"Don't run, Cold. Because I swear I'll catch you." Barry hissed in a low voice before he moved to Wally's side. Cold slid to the ground, his hand flying to touch his aching and swelling face as he fell to his knees.

Barry glided across the orange carpet and knelt over by Wally's side, the action hardly visible because of the speed. Barry reached out his hand, his fingers hanging in the air a moment before he gingerly moved on to grab at Wally's restraints carefully.

Wally flickered his eyes back open and gave Barry a tiny smile before he grimaced.

"H-hurts." Wally whined, his voice sloppy and underused as his tongue lolled out ungracefully from his mouth before he was able to shove it back inside.

Barry frowned, shaking his head sadly, "I know, Kid. We're going to fix you up, okay?"

Wally nodded, even though Barry looked blurry. Maybe it was because of how fast he was moving, but Wally wasn't sure. Then his stomach rumbled heavily, and he felt weaker than he had ever before. His body went limp right as the first layer of duct tape was ripped from his chest and allowed him to flop forwards like a sack of sand, much like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

"Whoa, Kid," Barry said, instantly catching the redhead before he could slide of the chair. He caught Wally with both hands and then pushed him back into the chair, positioning the teen at a lean in the chair, "Can you sit up?"

Wally flicked a glance at Barry and snorted, which was answer enough.

"How long has it been since you've eaten?" Barry wondered out loud as he began to inspect his nephew's numerous cut and bruises. He only seemed to have one major bruise on his right arm, save a few scrapes and cuts here and there that showed in his short-sleeved Flash tee. But once you reached the legs…It got bad. Barry flung a chilling glace at Cold, who still had not left his designated spot from the floor, and still cradled his beaten face as he attempted to shift up into a sitting position. Then he returned his gaze back to Wally's misshapen legs. His denim jeans hid from sight the deep purple color in his thigh, though a tear or two did allow Flash to see the discoloration. Barry's eyes fell down to his knees and shins, where it really got ugly. His left knee was bent towards his right leg even when laid out straight, and his shin veered to an abrupt left-indicating a particularly hard swing . A few gashes also marked the wounded appendage. His right leg had not fared well either, instead his knee looking more twisted than bent. Barry suspected the muscle and cartilage had been torn. Barry grimaced when he lightly feathered his fingers across Wally's legs to find his legs had been trying to heal themselves, snapping into place where they had been rearranged. They would need to be re-broken and reset , this time a cast forbidding them movement. Barry threw a glance at the toes, only one or two still intact. They would need to be broken once again as well.

"Haven't eatin' 'ince brea'fast." Wally slurred, answering Barry's earlier question.

Barry sucked in a deep breath. That explained why his body had stopped healing and allowed blood to continue dribbling out of the scrapes. His body was too weak-healing took a lot of energy, a lot more than running.

"We're going to fix you up, Kid, promise." Barry said softly to Wally. He instinctually bent down to pick up the limp speedster, but just at the touch, Wally winced.

"Hurts." He said with almost complete clarity, "I'ss goin' ta hurt!" the rehead said stiffly with worry, his body tensing up. The action only caused a sharp sting of pain to jolt his body, and Wally cringed with a grunt of soreness that hissed through his gritted teeth.

Barry edged away, not wanting to unintentionally hurt his nephew. He couldn't just leave him hear, limply leaned against a chair. His needed medical attention and food. But Wally was right-it'd be a painful experience to be carried out, his bones swaying unintentionally and being rocked and dangled with movement.

Just then he heard the sound of movement shuffling behind him, and he whirled around to see Robin releasing Cold from his grip, the man hitting the ground with a heavy thump. The man's eyes were closed and his breathing was even-obviously unconscious. Robin was staring in pure rage at the man, and he muttered darkly under his breath as he bent down with a pair of hand cuffs in his hands.

"Cold was trying to escape." Kaldur explained, stepping up from behind Robin, "Have you found-?" but the Atlantian's voice cut off when his sea-gray eyes landed on the limp form of Wally sagging against the wooden chair, his legs laid out on the coffee table in front of him.

Artemis came up from behind the Atlantian, but she immediately stopped at the sight of the redhead's crumpled body.

Megan was almost overwhelmed by a sudden and forceful emotion of worry that overpowered even Wally's pain as Artemis and Robin's eyes caught sight of their friend at the same instant. It was a horrible feeling-large amounts of anger and anxiousness that racked her as it collided with her mind.

"Baywatch!" Artemis murmured in a voice was hard to define in tone range. It was somewhere between worry, shock, and defeat-like she's somehow failed, Robin mimicking he as he called out "KF!"

Artemis's eyes landed on Barry, her voice tight, "He's not dead is he?"

Wally flicked open an eye at the team, and the room seemed to sigh in relief.

"M'not dead." Wally mumbled, but his eyelids fell back down heavily, his body somehow relaxing even further.

"He's not doing to good." Barry said pointedly, relief that Wally was found clear in his voice but a new worry for his nephew taking hold of him

"Understatement of the year." Robin muttered darkly under his breath.

"Shut up. He's going to be okay." Robin was surprised about how serious and forceful Artemis's voice had gotten, as if just by saying the words she could make them true.

"He won't let me touch him He's afraid it will hurt." Barry continued, not taking notice of the conversation between Robin and Artemis.

"Let me try," Megan said, speaking for the first time, floating up and then down to Barry.

Wally registered the noise, and then the fact that it hadn't been _inside_ him. It was real! The owner of the disembodied voice was in the room. Wally forced his million-pound eyelids open, and then he rolled them to where Barry had been standing.

In Barry's place a green skinned girl was holding up her hand out towards him. Suddenly, the voice was back in his head.

"_Wally, it's okay. Just sleep now. It'll be better when you wake up, I promise."_

Barry watched Wally's eyes flicker before a content sigh rolled over him and his chest began to rise and fall with deep and even breaths. His face was troubled with pain, but it was far more content than it had been. The image looked wrong, when Wally's expression was compared to what state his body was in. But Barry was grateful that his redhead wasn't going to be awake for what he was going to do next.

"He's asleep." Megan called unnecessarily, her eyes reopening and the jade-green look in her eyes fading back to their normal golden-brown color, "He was disoriented and nearly unconscious. I don't think he's going to wake up for a while unless we wake him up."

"Good. Thank you." Barry said, before he turned to the Boy Wonder.

"Mini-Bats, what'd Batman teach you about resetting bones?" Flash asked, walking over to Wally.

"Everything." Robin answered, walking past Artemis and Megan as he slid up beside Wally.

Once the Boy Wonder had made his way over by Wally's disfigured side, Barry nodded to him.

He hated what he was about to do, but if there was a time to do it, now was it. Wally was out cold and his metabolism wouldn't be healing as fast as it normally would, giving them time to work. Without another moment's hesitation, Barry grabbed Wally's left leg and gave it a forceful bend, a heart-stopping _crack_ jolting the room and turning Megan's stomach. As soon as Barry moved on to Wally's right leg, Robin leaned over and grabbed Wally's left leg, shoving it back into its proper place as it gave a satisfying _click_ sound that indicated the bone falling into the right spot.

Wally gasped a sharp sound of shock at the sudden pain, but he remained unconscious. Robin jumped at the sound, worried that his friend might have awakened, but as soon as he saw that Wally's face was still slack, he continued his methodical work until the last toe was snapped into place.

Robin and Barry stepped back, overlooking the work before they retuned their gazes back to the team.

"Will he recover?" Kaldur asked, voicing what the rest of his team was thinking.

"Oh, yeah. But that's really going to hurt when wakes up." Robin commented, shifting a look at Barry, "Do pain killers work on speedsters, with his hyper-accelerated metabolism?" Robin asked.

Barry bit his lip, "Yeah," he answered finally, "It just takes about twice as much," Barry explained, leaning over to pick up Wally, taking extra care with his injured legs.

"What do we do with him?" Artemis asked, using her foot to nudge Cold, though the action would probably be better defined as a kick.

Superboy grabbed hold of Cold's costume's hood, picking the man up like he weighed no more than a doll.

"I'll take him jail." The Boy of Steel declared, and he hatefully flung the villain over his shoulder.

"Thanks, guys." Barry said, and he repositioned Wally bridal-style in his arms, "Now, I'm taking him going to run him to Mount Justice and hook him up to the infirmary. It's probably just as fast as the Zeta Beams."

"Understood. I will accompany Superboy to give Cold over to the authorities. Robin, Megan, Artemis-we will follow you to Mount Justice after we take care the Captain." Kaldur directed.

Robin nodded his agreement and followed the team out. But before he left the room he paused. He pulled out a handful of explosive Bird-a-Rangs and threw them hard into the wall, forcefully enough that they sank into the dry wall and began to beep warningly. In two minutes, Cold would lose another hide-out.

The heroes departed, heavy hearts that were lifted suddenly by success. Two minutes later, in the dead of night in Central City, the basement of a condemned apartment building was consumed in a fiery blaze before a small explosion took care of the entire building, sending the ancient home to the ground. The building fell in on itself, the low hanging ceiling now not hanging at all. The action caused a down the entire block's electrical grid to go down, sending about half of the South-West part of Central into darkness. Just enough lights went out. Right before Megan stepped through the Zeta Beam, her eyes picked out the single natural light of a star in the night sky.

][][][][

Author's Mailbag:

TO ALL: There's not a whole lot left to this story-maybe just a chapter or two. I just want to say that this has without a doubt been one of the most wonderful writing experiences I've ever had. Everyone has been infinitely kind, helpful, and supportive. All my reviewers have been just so sweet and thoughtful, most of them replying to every chapter. This is just to say how grateful I am, and how appreciative I am as an author, for all the kind words and numerous reviews I have received. Thank you all so much, it means a lot!

Music lover BWG: LOL, I know! I hope you enjoyed the rescue scene!

ToatllyLosingIt: …Or his face, LOL Still, message received. As well as numerous faces, and if I had to guess, a broken jaw. Ouch!

KF-AxxMexx: Yeesh, I know right? :O

: I wish YJ was strictly a teen's show too! ^-^ Thank you! Dialogue is always a little iffy with me, so I'm glad to know you like it!

Scarlet Mist: Personally, hardly anyone every dies in my fics. But if I had to kill off anyone, ever, in a rewrite or something-Cold is who I would kill. Also, I kinda LOVED how Icicle Junior was portrayed, and his face when he said, "Duuuude! That's your SISTER!" made me LOL. XD

Ghostdog401: Shazam (total Captain Marvel reference)! Update!

LadyDragonfly123: Wow, thank you! I will!

KaliAnn: Yes, yes, and yes!

JanelleL: Hmm, yes I see your point! *Grabs pillow from somewhere* Quick, put your brain on this while I call a few specialists to make sure…That brains falling out is normal. Or, you know, fixable…And I'll try to fit that in somewhere. :D

MattyLovin: Well, thank you! And it doesn't sound bad at all! I myself have been known to browse over into that genre…In fact, a lot of people have. Would you like to join the club? We serve virtual cookies that have been shipped out here all the way from the Dark Side!

Decdragon: Did you like it? XD

Karma Killer 11: LOL-Barry. Gotta love him.

Irenerb: Thanks! I hope that wasn't too anti-climactic!

AdogLover5: You re-read it? OH! Thank you! Also, thank you for giving me a small anatomy class! After reading that, all I can say is…FAIL, CAPTAIN COLD.

Bat-Dove: Hmm…Talk crazy, I think XD

RowanFall: Hmm…What _is_ another word for description? I don't know…Anyway thank you so much! I love hearing stuff like that (as you know-LOL). LOL-The TRUCKSTER-the Trickster's getaway car man! That would be epic, if that were true. And it's okay, cause I do that all the time when I'm writing. LOL!

Asdf: Oh, you're not sadistic! At least, not anymore than I am! I am so glad I could make you feel something. That's an author's goal-or at least mine. ^-^

LynsdeyRyder12: LOL! Loved that! *Cold rouds coner with crowbar* LOL! Oh! No! Okay, enacting Maneuver Update & Save Wally! Go! GO! GO! (LOL!)

DayDreamingofYou: Aww! That was sweet! Kind of sad, but sweet-when you said you wanted to cry for Wally because he couldn't cry for himself He won't have any mental trauma-at least any that will worsen his amnesia!

DreamGril32: Whoa. I am blown away. I mean, just thank you! To the bottom of my heart, thank you! Also, I am a girl, you were right! I mean, I've NEVER been compared to an actual author, and then to throw out a name like Rock Riordan-just thank you! That's an amazing compliment!


	19. Restoration

Chapter 19: Restoration

Barry blurred into the room, his red boots reflecting on the sterile white tiles beneath him. Wally was still unconscious; his head wilting into the crook of his neck as he was cradled in his uncle's arms. Barely slowing down, Barry carefully ran over to one of the open hospital bed and gently propped Wally up to where his back was pressed against the wall and his legs dangled in distorted directions over the side of the side. Wally's head slumped forwards, and he moaned as his lime-green eyes flickered open as if to examine his latest whereabouts, but they were glazed and blank. They slid shut almost as fast as they had been open, his face growing slack once more. Though, he had caught sight of Barry's worried expression, which he should have seen much earlier because his uncle's face was literally right in front him. It was his uncle's face too-no mask, no cowl, no crimson red-just his uncle. Just the way he remembered him. No tights, no speed, no villains with crowbars and vomiting guns-just Barry and Iris and him. Barry's face was ghost white, which made his baby-blue eyes stand out like crystal clear water. His lips were tight with worry, making his skin look like it was just barely stretched across his face, his short blonde hair looking odd in the mess. But the period of time was brief, and soon Wally's mind darkened, pulling him under with a speed he thought only Barry could muster. The emptiness returned before the pain radiating from his legs could reach him, and his expression relaxed peacefully despite the horrifying mess that now served as his two legs. That was gone and so was everything else as he slid away, his breathing deep and carefree.

"Wally?" Barry asked with surprise and worry clear in voice, having noticed the speedster's glazed eyes peer open and then sliding shut. At first his heart stopped with fear, finding the notion of Wally waking up before the cast had been applied terrifying. While setting the bones had without question the most painful experience, besides maybe the beating itself, Barry was sure that the jostling of the legs while he applied the proper padding and the actual cast itself would be a less than enjoyable experience. To his relief, Wally didn't respond-not even a head twitch. But his stomach did reply, a monstrous growl that made even Barry jump when it replaced Wally's voice. Barry turned at the speed of light to gather the padding and fiberglass cast rolls he'd need, knowing he'd have food ready directly after.

He returned in less than forty seconds, scolding himself for taking so long. He'd forgotten where they kept the rolls and the bucket-the bucket had taken a whole thirty seconds to fill. Barry shrugged it off though as he darted towards Wally, thoughts flying through his head like the darting arrows of an archer.

He set the water down beside him before he knelt down by Wally, still moving so fast his actions were impossible to follow. He quickly shifted padding up Wally's legs and then began to wind the fiber-glass up his nephew's legs.

][][][][

Miss Martian, Artemis, and Robin faded into the Zeta-Beam transporter's entrance, their forms the color of melted honey before they stabilized, color flowing back into them, yellows returning to eye-catching greens and crimson reds. Robin was the first to move, leaping from the platform first, his form curving into a graceful front flip before his legs landed lightly on the awaiting ground. Artemis was next, a less elaborate tactic being employed as she simply walked down, Megan floating beside her, trying to keep pace with Robin. The little bird had already managed to make it down the joining hallway, only a fleeting glimpse of swaying cape indicating his chosen path to the Medical Bay. Artemis soon copied his pace though, her army boots thumping against the ground as she ran, Megan having to glide quickly just to stay behind her.

As soon as Megan turned the corner with Artemis to view the Med Bay, she almost hit the ground, and as it was she was forced to stop and regain her bearings. The emotion was thick, almost overpowering. A wall of impenetrable feeling as hard and existent as any other in the Mountain. However, she was able to steady herself quickly. The emotions she could sense were not fueled or driven by fear as they had been before-though the nasty remnants of the feelings still clung to their owners like a putrid aftertaste-but instead they were that of relief, slick and cool like refreshing water, save the presence of a few lingering tastes of worry. Except Wally-whose mind was blank, only exhaustion and hunger occasionally making itself known. Wally! Megan's eyes shot to the redhead. He was still in his vintage Flash top, the zig-zag of the bolt partially hidden by his chin because his head was hanging forwards as he was propped up on the bed. She turned her gaze to his legs to see them encased into two large casts that started just above the knee and then traveled down. She then shot a look at Robin and Artemis. Both were wearing masks of relief and disappointment-an odd and somewhat complicated gesture.

Artemis crossed her arms, but the movement didn't reach her eyes. Instead, the two gray orbs were fastened on the speedster. How could someone, even Wally, manage to end up in the Medical Bay twice in the same week? Artemis didn't know, and frankly at the moment she didn't care. What tugged at her mind was a realization that had struck her on the roof while they'd been searching. Wally West, _Kid Flash_, an obnoxious speedster with a horrid taste in jokes and a thick-skull, had been missing-and she, the archer he continuously belittled, had _cared_. She'd been _worried_. She'd been genuinely concerned for him, hoping he wouldn't be hurt. It went beyond her experience with the Reds, that day she had stared down her sister's mask and made the decision to stay. This hadn't been for the good of many. It hadn't been her fate connected to theirs. It had just been Wally. It'd just been Wally and she'd felt like her heart was being ripped out from under her. Her mind took her back to the day in the training room, when he'd been touring after he'd gotten up from the hospital. She remembered the mission in Bialya. And it made her wonder whose fault their division really was and if it was worth it. Then she saw Wally's face, back in the training room. What he'd said popped into her mind.

_"Something this stupid affecting both of us like that? I mean, I don't remember it really, so maybe it's a bigger deal than it sounds like-but it seems pretty stupid to me."_

Artemis nodded slightly. Yeah. It was pretty stupid.

Beside her, Robin looked on, not noticing the green archer's action. His observant eyes were calculating the damage done to the speedster, his best friend. It didn't feel right. It hadn't felt right the first time-seeing his friend having nutrients pumped into him. But Robin had been able to douse himself in guilt. But now, there was nothing. There was nothing that he could have done to prevent anything. And that frustrated him. It made him want to rip at his hair, it made him want to work harder, to be able to do _something_. But the reality was, he couldn't. There was absolute nothing he could have changed. He couldn't improve on it. He couldn't fix it. He couldn't change it. He felt powerless. Robin felt a rush of disgust with himself. Here Wally was, not dead, not forever crippled, and with a telepath that could fix his memories-and Robin wasn't happy. Instead, he was mentally beating himself with an arsenal of nonsensical 'what-ifs'. With this thought, Robin had to physically shake himself and then force a small smile on his face, hoping that maybe by smiling on the outside he could ignore the feelings within.

Suddenly, the three teens felt oxygen momentarily ripped away from them as Barry ran into the room.

"Mini-Bats! Cupid! Miss Marvin!" Barry greeted, and the teenagers relaxed, despite Artemis's objection to the name 'Cupid'. Still, she was grateful to the fact that he hadn't gone with a variation of Robin Hood-the title instead being given to Green Arrow. This was the Flash they knew. Not the one that had scowled and been deadly serious-not the one that had searched for Wally. The speedster halted as his words left his lips, a look of liberation on his face-as though he too were happy to be free of his recent anger. He turned his attention to Miss Martian.

"So, listen. I just finished talking to Manhunter. He's heading down to Central to finish some things up in Central. Fishstick and Little-Supes-," the team quietly translated this into Kaldur and Conner, "-just finished up putting Cold on ice, but Manhunter checked you're work with Trickster. He's impressed, kid." Barry smiled, "Anyway, we forgot to wipe Cold. He's taking care of that now, but he says you're free to fix up Wally. I've fixed up his legs and I have a few painkillers in his system."

Megan nodded, but looked hesitant, "He has to be conscious for me to restore his memories. It's okay if I wake him up, right?"

Barry nodded, "That's what the painkillers are for. It'll hurt, but the sooner he knows who he is, the better."

Megan nodded in agreement, reaching her hand out towards Wally.

The team watched as Wally gasped, his body jerking as he came awoke. Wally's eyes widened instantly, and his muscles tensed, still not fully aware as he shouted, "Not telling!"

Then he looked down, noticing the restraints missing from his wrists and hands, nothing keeping him against the back of a wooden chair. He looked surprised by this, but then a few hazy mismatching memories that were tinged in fog found their way to him. Cold being punched senseless by the Flash, and then voices…and then…sleep?

Wally lifted his head, before his eyes fell on Flash, his bright red suit demanding attention. He smiled briefly, but his gaze continued down to Dic-err, Robin, and then Artemis. Robin shot him a half smile, though Wally could tell it was forced, and the archer was looking at him, but her expression told him nothing. That's when he noticed the green girl whose hand was extending towards him.

His body went on high alert, his skin rippling with an unwelcome chill. He could feel his hair stand on end as his mouth went dry. Oh, man. First a voice and now this? Hallucinations? He was crazy. He was, he was, he was. He had to be. Girls weren't green. It didn't matter how cute they were-girls were not _green_.

"Alien!" Wally sputtered, his finger pointing at Megan as soon as his mind could come up with an explanation.

Barry speeded up to Wally, quickly putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Wally! Wally, its okay. This is Megan. Remember? We talked about the telepath in the car a couple of days ago? This is her. She's going to restore your memories." Barry said calmly, carefully taking his free hand to lower his nephew's still pointing finger, "It's Martian Manhunter's niece? Remember him from the news?"

Wally still stared wild eyed at her, and Megan smiled reassuringly, somewhat hurt by her friend's reaction.

"Wally, I'm the voice that helped find you? Remember?"

Wally took a deep breath, trying to think of something to say. His hyper-accelerated thinking was on fire, trying to calm itself down and not think of the green girl in front of him as a threat-after all, Barry had just given her the thumb-up, and he did remember Martian Manhunter from the news. He wanted to say something, anything, but what came out of his mouth was, "Y-You're green."

Megan nodded calmly, sensing the confusion in the redhead's scattered thoughts. Not surprising though, considering the painkillers, lack of food, and recent trauma.

"Yeah, I am. Now, take a deep breath and calm down for me, okay?"

Wally tensed, suddenly very aware of his broken legs as he looked down to see his cast, "My-My legs," he stated in horror before looking up at the girl with olive skin, "Wait-why?"

"I'm going to restore you're memories." Megan explained sweetly, stepping closer to the speedster.

"W-What? Whoa, like _in _my head?" Wally said, his voice on edge. He didn't like this. He hadn't even met this girl with skin the color of ivy. He didn't like the idea of anyone going in his mind-much less a total stranger.

"Wally…I promise it doesn't hurt." Megan said, edging nearer to the speedster, getting close so she could place her hands on his temples for a stronger connection.

"Come one, KF." Robin urged, sending his friend a comforting smile, "You'll remember all those missions and stuff I told you about."

"Yeah." Artemis inserted, a smile growing on her lips, "And you can also remember all those times I saved your scrawny butt."

"I won't be reading your thoughts, Wally." Megan assured, "Just reestablishing the memories you already have."

Barry nodded beside him, sending his nephew a look of encouragement.

Wally bit his lips, still uncomfortable with the idea of someone going into his head. Wally took a sharp intake of air and then gave Megan a wary look, his eyes boring into her green and otherworldly skin.

"O-okay." He conceded carefully as Megan smiled and then reached out towards him, "Just be careful in there, okay?" he asked, his voice a little shaky.

"I promise, Wally." Megan chirped cheerfully before she delicately placed her hands on either side of Wally's head, "Now, relax." She ordered, and her eyes turned from the color of fall leaves the green tint of freshly watered grass.

Wally's eyes closed, the world melting away as Megan delved into his mind.

Megan was suddenly flooded with a sea of memories that surged forward like the advancing tide. Images swam in like a school of fish, each one different and each one holding Wally at various ages. One glinted past her and she was suddenly looking at the world through the eyes of a two-year old Wally blowing out two small candles, sending the frosting flying instead of the candles. The memory swept by her, leaving her to face the rest, though a smile clung to her features even after it left her. Another one ripped into her vision, but it was from when Wally was older. She saw a man with bright blonde hair and kind blue eyes-Barry. He was talking to a young Wally, assuring the redhead that the Flash would like him. That memory faded, and her grin widened. That must have been before Wally had become Kid Flash. Megan's eyes widened-remembering why she had first entered the young speedster's mind. She'd been caught up in all of the swirling thoughts. She pushed the memories away from her, to where she could see them all. A mass of swirling images placed themselves before her, clear in her view. Concentrating as hard as she could, she began to sift through them, going on up until she reached damaged.

She came across the first damaged memory from when Wally was still very young-maybe eleven or twelve. It wasn't simply foggy or smudged, but almost completely blocked out. Megan quickly cleared up the image-and suddenly, she was living it through Wally's point of view. Chemical's doused her skin and electricity pumped through her veins, her body convulsing as she hit the ground. Everything was moving painfully slow as it happened, making her head hurt as the world turned at an agonizingly slow pace. It kept getting slower, the power in her body getting stronger and faster. She cried out, but suddenly arms where around her, Barry's face looking wild and worried. Megan gasped as the memory left her, her arms hugging her tight. So that's how Wally got his speed, she guessed. Megan recollected her thoughts once the shock passed, reminding herself not to get so involved with the memories. She then began sorting again, hitting more and more and uncovering them from the dark veils that covered the memories. She smiled at a few, like the one where Barry finally allowed Wally to accompany him on patrol for the first time, though she still kept a safe emotional detachment from them. Though other's made her cringe-like the time Wally first tried to vibrate his molecules through a wall. She uncovered more and more, flinging through them as fast as she could until she couldn't find another memory. When she finally got to the present, she pulled out-the walls of memories gone and replaced with the staring eyes of Artemis and the masked faces of Robin and Barry.

As she stood there, the mental work took its toll and her legs wobbled beneath her, though the Flash used his speed to catch her. But all eyes were on Wally, though he his eyes were tightly shut and his breathing was heavy.

"Is he okay?" Flash asked instantly, shooting an anxious glance at the Martian girl he was currently supporting in his arms. From the corner of her eye, she saw Robin and Artemis lean in slightly.

"He's fine," Megan answered, regaining control of her legs and pushing herself up on her own, "It'll just take a while for his brain to process the images. I did just restore a very large portion of his memories- there is a lot of mental strain to reestablish all of them." She explained. She could feel them waiting for a time, and she bit her lip, "Half an hour maybe?" she decided carefully.

Barry's face lit up with relief, a genuine smile taking up his features, "In that case, I'm starving and I know someone else who will be too. Now," he said turning to the kids, "I hear Wally says that Miss Martian makes amazing cookies and that Mini-Bats here can make a mean pizza. What can you cook, Cupid?" he asked addressing Artemis.

"I don't cook…" she began, but when the excited eyes of her relived teammates hit her, Artemis smiled a small smile, "I can make a pretty mean chili."

][][][][

Author's Mailbag:

TO ALL: A quick note-this may be the last mail bag, but not the last reply you'll ever get. One reviewer suggested that the Mailbag is unnecessary and that PM are just as effective and do not just "add to the word count". Any opinions? If not, that's how I will reply. Just a quick note. On to the replies! Speaking of which-this story has reached 309 reviews thus far. THANK YOU. Sincerely, this is just so awesome!

RowanFall: You are the first reviewer! Whoo! High five! I knew you would do it someday, though this does pretty much kill your "Seven" streak. By-the-by, I'm glad someone didn't think the ending was too corny, LOL! I was hesitant to put that out there. Thank you!

Xellda: LOL, poor Robin and his irritation with people not understanding such a simple term! I'm glad you've enjoyed this story!

LyndseyRyder12: I love it when happiness is in the air! Just sort of refreshing, you know! *Starts dancing with Lyndey*

Scarlet Mist: You do too! I was gonna say! LOL Yeah, the story's nearing it's end-but it's a pretty lengthy story and I'm proud of it. Besides, we know you'll finish you're stories sometime! LOL

Animiecutie610: LOL! I loved the convo between you an Robin, especially his, "No dip, Sherlock"- I use that line all the time!

Cary99: Boom! Yeah he did! By-the-by, I really appreciate you going back and reviewing all the chapters. That was super kind of you!

JanelleL: You are more than welcome for the pillow and even more doubley welcome for the Trickster thing-though I don't know if I can or not, considering he wasn't in the story in the first place0though I'm glad you suggested him because he was a big hit! And LOL, loved your smiley comment!

Decdragon: I'm not a huge killer, as death is kind of gruesome to write-but I'm happy that you've enjoyed it! And that's why I love the Flash's-they are arguably the most powerful heroes in the DC universe, but they are just so relaxed and go-with-the-flow kind of people! EEE! Love it.

Litra: Thank you! I hope I didn't wait too long to update this time-this chapter just took a while to write. I couldn't find time, and the transitions felt weird. I'm glad you liked the pace-it's way slower than I usually go!

KF-AxxMexx: Aww! Who doesn't want to hug Wally? LOL!

Kristie Lynn: Wow, I love your comments! Each one is just so sweet and complimentary! I so agree with you! Wally needs to have at least one episode all to himself soon-I know we had Denial, but he was being so stubborn throughout the whole thing! And that was more a Wally/Artemis episode in my opinion. Still, a few more wouldn't kill the writer's would it? Just a few? LOL, anyway, thank you! And actually…after this story is done I'm going to put up a pole for what story people think I should write. I'll post them when the last chapter is up to see what people think! I'd love to have you vote!

Ghostdog401: I do too! It's so funny to see a grown man act like a little kid! And Barry knocking the stuffing out of someone is always a little fun to read!

TotallyLosingIt: LOL! I love the imagery! I can TOTALLY see that happening to me, too! Now, I'm one of those people who gets a comment and practically gins their face off because it means so much-yours was just so nice that my cheeks are currently hurting. I'm not just saying that either-I'm legit ginning like an idiot. Thank you!

Irenerb: I'm glad! She's so fun to right for!

KaliAnn: LOL, something tells me Wally's going to be okay food wise…MMM, chili!

Adoglover5: I know! I'm soo excited over them! And LOL, I can see Barry letting Cold run a little bit just so he could zip in front of him and be like "Told you so." And yes you do! I completely believe that!

DayDreamingofYou: Yeah, I know. I probably should have gone a little more hard-core, but this is the Flash. I know he was seriously peeved, but Barry too nice a guy to do anything more than break someone's jaw. I mean, "maiming" isn't really his style. I'm glad though-that's one of the reason's I like the Flash!

MillionDollarNinja: Love the name, first off. And also, THANK YOU! LOL

Bat-dove: Yeah, But I can't see the Flash seriously injuring anyone. *shrugs* Really, I think a broken jaw is way not enough, but this is Barry. And he had other things on his mind. LOL, Flash a softie. I like it.

Karma Killer 11: Megan is once again a blessing! LOL, and her uncle! I actually like the Martian-but "Hello Megan" is throwing me off. Oh well-she's still super awesome, especially after Failsafe. And _thank you_! Reviewers are what make this possible!


	20. Wake

Chapter 20: Wake

Thirty-two minutes had passed.

Megan leaned into the hot oven, wincing at the heat but pushing through it just long enough to grab the cookie tray from the top rack and telepathically grab at Robin's pizza from the bottom. The kitchen was filled with a variety of different aromas. They intertwined strangely-sweetness from the cookies blending in with the spicy smell of Artemis's chili and the combined presence of Robin's own creation-but it was a pleasant blend.

The Flash had attempted a failed batch of brownies, but the teens had found that despite any other amazing abilities the Flash had, cooking was not among them. The smell of burnt chocolate had thankfully dispersed and given way to the new mixture of pizza, cookies, and chili. At the moment, Flash was handing ingredients to Artemis.

"…Where do we keep the jalapenos?" Artemis called, standing over the pot of chili. It'd take a few hours to cook, but the smell of it was mouth watering already.

"Artemis, you already put in three other peppers." Robin pointed out. He didn't mind a little bite in his food, but Artemis seemed determined to send at least one of them to the hospital with all the spice she was pumping into it.

The blonde archer simply shrugged not even turning to the Boy Wonder as she asked, "Your point?"

Robin paused in return, and then reluctantly pointed a wavering finger over to a cabinet to the left of her head. Artemis grabbed a container out and then began to pour in the contents to the chili quite liberally. The room crept into silence again, thick with relief but also with the tension of waiting. Of wondering. Until Artemis broke through the wall of silence, speaking what everyone was thinking-though it surprised them that she would be the one to do it.

"I hope Wally's okay." She murmured, shelving the nearly empty container of dried jalapenos.

"He will be." Robin said instantly, the white's of his mask narrowed with certainty. He was slicing through his pizza carefully, the task keeping his mind preoccupied.

"He's a trooper," Barry commented, "Besides, Kid's a pretty easy-going guy. He'll be back on his feet in no time-literally." The older speedster said lightly.

"…I don't think he's going to like the wheel chair." Artemis observed finally, a sly smile creeping onto her face.

"We're going to start having to do a lot of villain's dry cleaning." Robin noted, and then he looked up to see the faces of confusion that had turned his way.

"What?" Megan asked, cocking her head slightly and causing her fiery hair to spill over her green shoulder.

"Well," Robin explained, taking on a tone that indicated that there was some thought behind this, "After KF runs them over in his wheel chair, we're going to have to remove the tire marks."

The room paused, and then was filled with a hearty laughter that belonged to Barry-not because the thought was so funny, but because it was the first moment where not even a hint of worry clung to the air, not even a taste of misfortune gripping onto them. After a moment, everyone was laughing.

Until Megan stopped, her hand jerking up towards her temple. She threw her eyes towards the ebbing chuckles of her friends, her eyes wide with happiness.

"He's waking up."

Flash grinned a smile that was wide enough to rival the other speedster in the mountain, "I'll send an alert to Bats, Manhunter, BC, Fishstick, Little-Supes. Then let's go!"

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The first thing that registered was not the pain that laced his legs, or the multi-colored bruise splotches that played on various patches of his skin, but instead the searing migraine that made his skull throb like the booming bass in a club song. Wally smashed his eyes closed as his senses returned to him, his hand flying to press down against his forehead as though that would stop the pulsating headache that raged inside of him. Wally groaned a sound that was much healthier than the previous grunts he had been managing to spit out. His stomach rumbled, and the redhead grimaced, his hand removing itself from his head and instead grabbing at his stomach.

What had he been doing? Running a marathon while smashing his face in with bricks?

That's when the speedster's eyes flew open with a sudden awareness-what _had _he been doing?

Wally pushed himself up, propping himself into the air with his elbows to view his current location. He was in the…Med Bay? What? On instinct, Wally began to try and shift his weight out of bed, but paused when his feet didn't move with him. Wally froze, throwing his gaze down to view his legs, only to find them heavily wrapped-each leg in a spate prison of white. That's when he noticed the protest shooting up through his shins and he stopped moving. The speedster gasped in horror, his green eyes wide as he stared at his damaged appendages.

"Wha-?" Wally began, but then memory stopped him, striking him like a baseball bat.

His mind flashed, images lighting up like a flare shot off in the dead of night. A steady slideshow memory suddenly coursed through him, making his headache worse. Wally grabbed at his head once again, still finding the motion as ineffective at pain relief as the first time.

Suddenly, hundreds upon thousands of old memories resurfaced from somewhere inside him, being dusted off like old trinkets, along with new ones that Wally flinched at.

Instantly, the sounds, the smells, the very _events_ surrounded him. In his mind's eye, he saw overpowering lights and felt the cool of linoleum floor on his back. A hand reached out and grabbed him, hoisting him onto wobbly feet. When he had turned to view who'd helped him, he'd been greeted by Artemis-but for some reason in he, couldn't quite place. Another memory of him and Robin in the souvenir room assaulted him, one where his friend was taking off his sunglasses. And another, of Aunt Iris holding him so tightly that breathing was an impossible feat. And more-a crowbar landing harshly against his skin and the sound of an unbearable crack that made Wally flinch. A single word floated to him, one thing to grasp onto in a sea of recollection-Amnesia.

"Holy crap…" Wally breathed, glancing around the room with wide, green eyes as he gained his bearings.

Wally gasped, more images assaulting his mind, making even hunger take back seat as half a life's worth of memories returned to him, connecting with the last few days like a puzzle being completed.

He didn't know long he sat there, watching and recalling events that had for some reason been previously hidden by a shadow in his mind. It could have been minutes, but just as easily it could have been hours, maybe even days. It wasn't a speed lapse that distorted the time either-this felt different. This was a total mind lapse, totally dissimilar, not at all alike. However long it had been though, he was jarred from his thoughts by the sound of the Medical Bay's door sliding over, the orchestra of footsteps breaking away the images that rolled through his mind-as well as the smell of food.

Wally blinked, turning to face the crowd-literally. His Uncle Barry was stepping through the door, along with the entire Young Justice and the Batman, not to mention Black Canary, Red Tornado, and Martian Manhunter.

Megan flew in first, a large smile on her face as she enveloped the speedster in a quick hug before floating back to join the others, who had advanced to surround his bed-but Wally hardly registered the action. Only a few seconds passed, but it felt so much longer as he glanced from face to face, a light trickle of still-coming memories flowing through him. But even through that, Wally could tell that the heroes around him were waiting for something, for him to talk.

"Hey, guys." Kid Flash mustered up brightly, wincing at the sound of his own voice, noting how scratchy it was.

"How do you feel and what do you remember?" The voice belonged to Batman, but the questions belonged to all of Wally's visitors.

Wally looked down, eyeing his white hospital sheets and tracing the lightning bolt on his shirt "I feel fine. Y'know, for being beaten senseless by a crowbar while managing to be nearly starved to death. And, memory wise, I think I'm all caught up." Wally said jokingly, though truth hung in his words with a dead seriousness.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Batman asked, assuming the role of doctor as he flicked an observant eye at Wally's heart monitor and his other measured vitals. Like usual, the teen's heart was beating faster than average due to his speed, and his blood pressure was a little higher than usually acceptable-but he was doing well physically for a speedster.

"Umm…Megan saying something about restoring my memories. Then a headache." Wally recalled, turning his narrowed eyes towards the ceiling as he concentrated, "I've had amnesia for…three or four days now, right?" the teen asked, cocking his head curiously, readjusting himself into a comfortable position.

Batman gave a quick nod, "But it appears that you have regained all of your memories. You said you were hungry?"

Wally smiled brightly, a vigorous nod taking place, "Dude, I know for a fact I haven't eaten since yesterday morning. I'm starving."

"Good." Robin spoke up, and then shot Wally an apologetic look, "I mean, not that you're starving. But Miss M, Artemis, Flash, and I have been cooking since Megan got you back to normal." The little bird explained.

"The word 'normal' being a relative term." Artemis stuck in, but her voice held no malice, and Wally found he didn't mind the light insult…or the kind smile that accompanied it.

The speedster moved to hop off the bed, but was reminded of his two thick casts as his legs thumped together, only clumsily clunking together.

"Uh…" Wally murmured embarrassedly, gesturing to the white prisons around his legs. His cheeks flushed a bright red, but somehow managed an even deeper shade as he saw Artemis disappear behind the Med Bay entrance…and return a few seconds later with a wheel chair.

Flash then wheeled the seat over top Wally, carefully lifting his nephew into it and placing him carefully inside. Wally couldn't ignore the wry twinge Robin's face as he tried to bite back laughter at his friend's obvious displeasure.

"Hey Rob-just remember chicks dig the guy with wheels." The speedster inserted indignantly, shoving his hands against the metal rims of his wheels and then giving them a quick shove, propelling himself forward a little.

"Whatever you say." Chirped Robin, a small portion of his chuckle accompanying his words.

Wally's stomach replied before he could, a sharp and demanding grumble sounding like a disgruntled gaint.

"Come on, Kid Appetite-let's go gruntle your stomach."

"Gruntle?" Wally asked, the Flash grabbing onto his chair's handholds so he could push his nephew to the kitchen.

"Disgruntled with the 'dis'." Robin explained half-heartedly, already darting off to the kitchen, "Race you!"

"Dude!" Wally protested his voice light and airy.

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Four slices of Robin's pizza, three dozen of Megan's cookies, five glasses of water, and a jug of soda later, Wally leaned back in his wheel chair, a content sigh being heaved from him.

"Could it be you're finally full?" Robin asked, sitting to the left of him. The whole team was seated around the coach, plates balanced carefully on their knees. Wally had wheeled himself to the end of the coach, and team following suit. Artemis was seated by Robin, followed in order by Megan, Conner, and Kaldur. Flash had been with them for a while, laughing and talking with them while rivaling Wally for food consumption-but he'd decided it was time to let Iris know of Wally's status and he'd left.

"I'm never full." Wally answered in a serious tone, "But this is the most food I've had in a really long time. I feel like I could run a marathon." He finished happily, patting his torso contently with a wide grin on his face.

"We're glad to have you back," Kaldur stated, leaning forward to view his teammate. The guilt-so heavy and burdening-was gone. When the speedster turned to look at him, recognition was there. The scared and confused teenager that had replaced him was gone, and the Kid Flash they knew had returned to take back his rightful spot. As a leader, he promised himself that he would never allow something like that to happen again-to Wally or anyone else, "It was strange not having you know us. It was unpleasant."

"You're better this way." Conner added-but he didn't add anything else. Wally, though his legs were broken and would take at least a week to heal, was himself. He wasn't that quite teenager who was uncertain and timid. He was back to himself-alive and moving and confident. But if anything remained of the kid he'd met-it was the connection they'd formed. Wally knew it, Conner knew it. And that spoke for itself. Nothing else was needed.

"I'm just sorry I couldn't get back sooner." Megan added, bowing her head slightly in sadness before shooting it up and aiming a smile at the speedster, "But I'm glad we got your memories back." She grinned. She hadn't liked the Not-Wally that the speedster had been. He had been so much more confused and scared. That wasn't who someone like the redhead ought to be-they should be moving and care-free. Which was what Wally was. Megan didn't know a while lot about Earth, or people in general, but there was something as true on Mars as it was on Earth-everyone needed that person who could see the bright side. She was certain that most people would point their fingers at her when other's asked for the optimist, but Wally had a certain way of handling the rough patches that she didn't-he made the big stuff laughable. The team needed a speedster.

"Aw, don't sweat it, Babe." Wally said, flashing the Martian a suggestive glance, "Whenever you show up is soon enough for me, gorgeous."

Artemis narrowed her eyes, shifted to where she could lean over Robin's head, and then swatted Wally upside the back of his head before returning to her seat, a smug look spreading deviously across her features as she crossed her arms.

"Ow!" Wally exclaimed before glaring at Artemis, "I can't believe you would hit a kid in a wheelchair!"

Artemis glanced over at him, "Believe it."

But it wasn't the same and both of them knew it. Somewhere along the line, the taunts and insults had changed. Whether anyone else noticed or not-both of them knew there was something to confront between the two of them. After all, something so small affecting the two of them like this? Stupid. But maybe it was the little things that counted…and maybe the small smiles meant more than they used to. But here, in front of the team, was not the place to talk about emotions that neither one of them fully understood. So instead, Wally slumped into his seat, and muttered, "Jerk."

"Kid Flash, how are you handling your recent amnesia?" Kaldur asked, killing the light hearted mood.

The question caught Wally off guard. Handling it? So many different feelings surrounded it. Mostly, embarrassment. He'd acted like a moron, and when he hadn't been making a complete fool of himself, he'd either been using up all his energy, making the team carry his useless butt to the Med Bay or getting kidnapped by the Rouges. The thought still made Wally cringe-passing out during training. That was pathetic in and of itself-but giving yourself amnesia by running into a _wall_? He'd never live that down. His cheeks flushed at the thought, but thankfully it returned to the correct color before the team noticed. He was handling it-but that was for the team. When he got home tonight, if he survived the hug Iris was sure to snare him in, he would most likely spend the entire night watching the embarrassing incident in his head. Instead of saying that though, he gave his leader a reassuring smile.

"Everything's good on that end. The only thing that's got me is that I have to wear these for a while." Wally cheerfully replied, rapping his knuckle against the cast.

Kaldur could tell that the words were not entirely true-but he also knew that Wally would not be delving into the topic any further and he returned the grin with a respectful smile, "We are all thankful for that."

Robin was on the same page as Kaldur-but he could read the speedster like a book. It came with the years of patrolling together, the years of forging the closest thing to brotherhood the two could come close to without sharing the same blood. Kid Flash was embarrassed and angry with himself-but he'd accepted it. Barry was right-Wally was easy-going. He went with the flow-no matter how rough the current got. Right now there was a patch of unsettling waters, but calmer streams were ahead. Wally would literally and figuratively be on his feet in no time.

Robin stood up, stretching, "Well-Gotham calls." He said, in perfect timing as his phone vibrated, "And, apparently so does the Bat. Catch you guys later." He got up to go to the Zeta-Beam teleporters, "Talk to you later, KF."

"See ya, Rob!" Wally called, and waved as his friend faded to yellow.

Robin faded from sight, leaving an empty Zeta-Beam platform, and Wally returned to the conversation . He noticed that Artemis had scooted closer to where Robin had been, and he found he didn't mind it so much.

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As the night had worn on, the rest of the team had slowly faded, Megan to her uncle, Conner following , and Kaldur to his king, Wally had lost track of where Artemis had disappeared to, but at the moment, the speedster was actually hoping she didn't show up.

He had wheeled himself into the kitchen, his unsatisfied stomach demanding the spicy scent that lingered from the marinating chili. Sitting in the chair, Wally managed a staggering height-which placed his shoulders almost completely even with the countertops. Just enough height for him to reach up onto the granite counter tops and make a grab for the pot. However, he found that it was literally just out of reach, aloowing only the very tips of his fingers to gently sweep across the glossy silver of the crock pot the chili was in.

Wally scrunched up his face in concentration, his tongue hanging out a little as he concentrated on extending his arm even more than it already was. The movementgave little improvement to his situation, and he only succeeded in pushing the bowl farther away from himself-which his stomach reprimanded him for with an almost sarcastic growl of disapproval.

"Oh, shut up." Wally hissed, glaring down at his talkative tummy. He knew very well that he was hungry again, per usual-he didn't need a glorified hunger pang to tell him that. Besides, it wasn't _his_ fault the chili smelled so good.

The redhead huffed, and made on final lunge for the bowl-unsuccessful. Though he did manage to slap his chin down against the countertop and cause a shooting pain to fleetingly pass through him. He jerked back to cradle his chin in his hands, when he heard a laugh from the opposite side of the room.

It wasn't Robin's laugh, high and chirpy like a Robin itself-this one was heavy and light at the same time-sweet but with a hardened edge around it. He only knew one person like that.

"Artemis, it isn't funny." He whined, not intentionally sounding so pathetic as he pushed himself away from the counter and grabbing onto his wheels to turn himself around to face her.

She was leaning against the over, only the kitchen island separating the two. Her hair was in its usual style, arching down her back like liquid gold. And her eyes-they gave absolutely nothing away. He still hadn't decided if he liked that or not. He was going to wait until he knew where he stood with the green archer until he decided.

"It was hilarious." Artemis declared, the sentence taking on the tone of fact, "So, do you want the chili or not?"

Wally shifted in his seat, his eyes going straight to the pot-though only half if his thoughts were hiding there. The other half were circling the blonde. He didn't know how to handle this. He felt like he was on the top of a mountain with no sure footing-sure, for now he was safe, but one wrong move could send him toppling down to an uncertain fate.

He was uncertain-should he act the way he had been, or should things change? He wanted them to change-some strange part of him did, anyway. But…but did she? The feeling inside him battled multiple others-which was odd because many of the emotions he battled seem to cling to their destroyer, creating a monster emotion that made no sense. A monster that was more than willing to push him from his unstable perch at the top of the metaphorical mountain.

So the speedster went with the safe answer-deciding to be honest, "Yeah, chili sounds good."

That answer was safe-if she wanted to push the subject any further, she was free to. If not..he still got a bowl of chili and the ability to deal with this headache alone-letting whatever happened to happen. An approach to females he had never tried before. Maybe this one wouldn't have to be forced.

Artemis moved, saying "Fine." As she glided past him and to the counter in front of him, gracefully reaching up for a bowl from the cabinet before ladling two heaping piles of chili into the designated bowl and handing it to Wally.

"Thanks." He murmured, the smell drifting up to him and making a smile crawl onto his lip.

"No problem-we were making it for you anyway." Artemis shrugged, leaning against the counter and eyeing Wally. She paused a minute before adding, "For when you got out of the Medical Bay."

Wally set his spoon down, a tone in her voice suggesting that the discussion would happen now. Which suited them both really-him with his speed and Artemis wanting an immediate handle on the situation.

"Yeah? That was nice of you guys." Wally replied, staring Artemis with the same look she was giving him-willing her to be the one to start.

She saw exactly what he was doing, and she groaned before muttering, "Fine-I'll go first."

"You know me so well." Wally joked-but the look she shot him demanded silence and attention.

"Okay-so here's the deal. I, uh," She began clumsily-a word that the young speedster had never associated with Artemis, "Okay…Listen-I realized something. Now, when you were in the Medical Bay, all passed out on the bed because you just had to go and get kidnapped and beaten up, I felt something I shouldn't have. I felt worried…and I shouldn't. Not for you."

"Aw, geez, Arty," Wally inserted, just as surprised at himself as Artemis was with the unintentional nick-name, "I didn't know you cared."

"Remember what you said that day in the training room-when you had amnesia? And I know you did, because Megan fixed your head."

Wally swallowed hard-yeah, he remembered, "Yeah." Wally said quietly, the bowl in his hand silently searing his skin with the heat.

"You said you wouldn't be an idiot after you got your memories back. So tell me right now one reason why we don't like each other. And not even in the relationship way-even as friends. One reason." Artemis demanded-and there was something in her voice. He could hear it. She was actually asking for a reason. One that made sense. One that would satisfy both of them and make things normal again. Well, he was looking for a reason too…and he had bad news for them.

"I…I can't."

"Well," Artemis sighed, sinking further against the countertop, "So what happens now, huh, Baywatch?"

Wally looked down, finding his bowl of chili incredibly interesting before he lifted his eyes to view the blonde that stood before him.

"I don't know." Wally faltered. He felt like an moron-he was usually so good-at least in his mind-with situations like this. He could whip out a pick-up line almost faster than he could run, and he could be quick with his mouth when he needed to be. But not with Artemis. And it bugged him.

Artemis stared at him a moment and then laughed again, a slightly harder sound this time, but an amused glint still hid inside it.

"You're so helpful." She laughed sarcastically, punching him lightly on the shoulder.

And Wally noticed once again, in the small handful of times he had allowed himself to, how pretty she was. She had a slender but firm build with muscles that rolled like gentle waves beneath her perfect skin. And her hair was soft-as he had learned from the mission in Bialya when it had been playing across his face when he had held her light form in his arms. She was so different from the airheads he knew as well-a brain to match the beauty. She'd been able to slip into his lingo during the Doctor Fate mission-science and electronics most people didn't even know about, and she'd been discussing them with him like a pro.

"Well…what do you want to happen?" he asked, and he blushed at the look she gave him.

"I don't know what I want-I mean, I didn't even know I might even possible like you until a few days ago." She admitted. She liked the cute smile of hop that flashed across Wally's face.

"Oh good." The speedster replied in a voice that sounded more like his own, "Then we're both on the same page."

Artemis smiled, a sudden rush of instinct pushing her forwards as she breathed, "Then let's find out what happens next-together." She herself didn't believe it even as she pushed her lips against his-but she didn't pull away. And he didn't either.

The kiss didn't get carried away though, and she pushed back, forcing herself away with one hand an grabbing the counter to hoist herself up with the other. She wanted to get out of the room, or go in again, or maybe talk about what had just happened, but when she faced Wally-she giggled. A stupid grin was dreamily spreading across his face.

"Th-That," he smiled, "Makes me want to get sent to the Med Bay more often." The speedster managed to sputter out before a strange hiccup-laugh shook his chest a couple of times.

"You wish." Artemis said, her sly eyes alive with an emotion she wasn't quite sure of.

There was silence for a minute or two…before Wally destroyed it.

"So…are we dating now?" he asked.

"Do you want to?" Artemis asked back, her voice soft.

"…I know I do." Wally decided with the deepest sincerity he had ever used with a girl. He didn't even force it out-it just came.

"Good, because I know I do to." Artemis said, but she was interrupted by the now familiar rage in Wally's stomach-which seemed to announce that it had waited long enough.

"Eat-your stomach's ruining the mood." Artemis smiled. Wally didn't hesitate, and shoved the spoon in his mouth before his eyes lit up with surprise.

"It's hot!" Wally yelled, dropping the bowl in his lap before shaking his hands wildly in front of him.

Artemis rolled her eyes, a tilt on her lips still arching upwards as she sighed, "Yeah-I like it spicy."

Suddenly a flash of red broke between the two, a Barry appeared before them-only Wally having been able to trace his movements.

"Hey, Artemis" Barry greeted before placing his attention on Wally, "Come on Kid. I've got Iris all caught up. She's not taking it very well, but you know how she is. She's put a strict ban on all things hero related until you die-but I think I can cut that down until your legs are healed. Besides-I think I may be able to allow you to have some friends over. But we have got to go now, or she's going to blow the one fuse she has left." Barry said, his voice blurring into gibberush.

But Artemis had understood the tone, and she hopped off the counter easily, smiling at Wally before she departed with a "See ya, Baywatch."

Wally barely had time to wave before Barry had grabbed ahold of the wheelchair and pushed it over to the Zeta-Beam teleporters.

As the beams whirred up, Barry glanced down at Wally, a warm look on his face, "It's good to have you back, Kid. All of you."

"Thanks-I like it better as Kid Flash anyway." Wally announced brightly-before his skin turned to the color of the sun, glowing like it as well.

And then he faded away-ready to contend with the most formidable thing he had ever faced-as Kid Flash or Wally West- a worried Iris Allen West.

THE END

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Author's Mailbag: Replies

TO ALL: Oh wow-this was over 4,800 words. And I just wanted to say thank you-to every reviewer who ever replied or ever will. This has been so fun to write, and I'm aware how corny this is, but its true-you guys inspired me to continue. Even with the tough chapters that I couldn't seem to force out, and I just wanted to say thank you. A big one. So with that, I end this story. If you guys are interested, I'm thinking about starting a new multi chapter fic for Young Justice soon-or maybe a series of one-shots. I'm going to add the poll as soon as this posts, so feel free to vote. I'll have a summary on my profile. Anyway, once again-I cannot stress how grafteful I am for all the reviews! Thank you!

Bat-Dove: I know! I think that'd actually be rather painful :/ And LOL! Omg, Batspeak wins HANDS DOWN. LOL-geez, poor poor Wally! I just wanted to say thanks. You've replied since the beginning and that means a lot to an author. Thank you so much!

Scarlet-Mist: I tried to be a little sweet on that chapter, just because of how rough the story was for a while there. But it could be the music you're listening to! I love music like that, you'know? And I so bet you're right! I mean, I would be embarrassed too. Anyway, thank you so much. You have pretty much reviewed every chapter. That's just so amazing to me! Thank you so much!

Imsuchanut: Aw! Thank you! You've been so nice throughout this story, and your reviews have been a pleasure to read! You are always so complimentary and it stuff like that really makes my day!

DecDragon: I hope that lived up to your hopes! You've been really kind to me since you first reviewed, and I'm so grateful for that!

Rowanfall: OMG, I just want to give you a hug right now! You've followed both of my Young Justice fics-and reviewed every chapter on both. I'm just so thrilled right now you can't believe it. You also reviewed my One-Shot, Beyond Harm. And I just-You're reviews are just always so nice. Thank you SO MUCH! And I'm glad you like the Mailbag and I've decided to keep it! Thank you! By the by (hehehe) I'm so thrilled you liked the nick-names!

TotallyLosingIt: It completely debated putting that in there, as a reference to the Justice League, but I decided against it for the sake of originality, LOL! And I'm everyone seemed to like the fact that Artemis makes chili-I thought it was a fitting food for her. And completely going off topic-WHOO! Another reviewer in favor of the Mailbag! And thanks-I thought I had a pretty fair word count! Oh, thank you! You've also replied so many times, almost every chapter. And every review and comment has been so kind! Thank you!

Carry99: Whoo! Thank you so much! And thank you for your care in replying on every chapter-catching up even on the ones you missed!

JanelleL: Before I reply, I would just like to thank you for the heart0warming compliments you have given as the story has progressed. Every word was a kind one, and every one of them were pleasantly written as you replied to each and every chapter with personality! Thank you! So now to the reply! Wow! That was a high compliment-Until you die? Well okay-I'll keep on writing for as long as you keep on reading! LOL!

GhostDog401: First off-you are a pleasure to Beta for and a great reviewer! You reply to everything I publish and your extremely flattering! From one author to another-thank you sincerely!

LyndseyRyder12: You recently started reviewing-and what an awesome reviewer you are! I hate to sound like an old person-but it's spunky! (LOL-I'm welcoming the Eighties back, baby! Jk!) And actually, Robin makes pizza-but I will be more than happy to direct him to bake you some cookies-though he may need Megan's "help". LOL!

Irenerb: You have been so nice, reviewing almost every chapter and always singing praises! Thank you for how nice you've been and I hope you enjoyed it!

Minnesota413: Omg! I laughed so hard when I read that, LOL! Legit made me smile! Oh, um, I mean…Ahh! Not a disintegration ray! Ah. Also, I hope you liked the Spitfire I put in here-I've never written it before, even though I support it. LOL! Thanks for your review!

Asdf: Thank you so much for each of your replies! And don't be sad, please! LOL!

A Bibliophile: I really hope you enjoyed his memory reactions! I'm sorry you're sad-but every story has an end! Thank you so much for your review!

DayDreamofYou: Aw! Another replier that has replied from the beginning or very close to it! And just so nice too! And you're so right! I love how much insight you put forward in the characters! Earnestly-thank you so much for everything you've written!

Adoglover5: LOL-Hey, I'd probably be like that too! ALIEN! LOL! I just wanted to slip in a quick thanks! I know I've fangirled before-but you're such an amazing writer and I'm simply ecstatic with how you've expressed your liking to this story! I just can't thank you enough!


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